


Cat Scratch Fever

by elwon



Series: Canon AU's [8]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Anal Sex, Banter, Biting, Canon Typical Violence, Corporate Espionage, D/s, F/M, Jason Todd is Catlad, Jason Todd is Stray, Jason's adopted by cats and Catwoman, Jason's slowly recovering, M/M, Partially inspired by Jet Li's Unleashed, Past Child Abuse, Robin the Bondage Wonder, Robin the Boy Hostage, Rooftop Shenanigans, Scratching, Stealing, collaring, pinning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-20 20:52:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16145288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwon/pseuds/elwon
Summary: Jason’s made a new life for himself with Selina after the fighting pits. He loves his job, but, like mentor like protégé, he keeps running into Robin. Banter on the rooftops is fine, right until Robin interferes with the heist of a lifetime.





	1. Chapter 1

Jason wakes up covered in cats. Well, three cats. One is curled up by his neck, head resting on his shoulder, another is sitting right on the middle of his chest and the last is lying across his ankles. He blinks, wondering when the hell the cold hard corner of his cell had suddenly become so comfortable. It’s not until he hears the clinking sounds from another room that he realises that he’s not in his cell. He’s stretched out on a couch, in a warm apartment. Jason rubs at his face, thinking that perhaps the cats should have been his first clue that he’s no longer trapped down in the fighting pits of Gotham’s East Side. 

Selina pokes her head around the door and frowns at him. Jason can’t meet her eyes, even after staying with her for the last three days, and instead lifts his hand in an aborted wave. Her frown smoothes out into a smile.

“Morning, tiger. There’s toast if you want some.” Selina disappears back into the kitchen and Jason weighs up whether the nausea he’s feeling is the prelude to vomiting, or simply hunger. The cats hiss as he sits up, scrambling away from him and he swings his feet to the floor. After a few long moments Jason decides that yawning pit inside him is hunger and he drags himself slowly to the kitchen. He hugs the wall when he slips inside, edging over to the small two-seater table warily. Selina’s not been anything other than kind to him so far, but he knows better than anyone how easily and quickly people can turn on you.

“There’s coffee in the pot. Just don’t take the last of it or I’ll get nasty.” Selina says, not turning round from the counter. She’s reading something on her laptop, Jason thinks it’s the news, but he’s not going to ask. Talking’s still difficult for him. He anxiously reaches up to run a finger underneath his collar, it’s still there and still looser than he’s really comfortable with, but the buckle’s sturdy enough that it’s not going to undo by itself. 

“Did you mean it?” Jason forces the words out, but he needs to know if what Selina said last night was an empty promise to get him to stop or the truth.

“Mean what?” Selina twists to look up at him from her screen.

“You’ll help destroy them? Stop them killing us.” Jason stops there, clenching his fists. 

“Yes.” Selina says and the vicious glee Jason’s feeling must show in his face because she makes a noise of frustration. “I know the urge to go into StrigiPharm’s headquarters and kill every last bastard that ever attended a fight is overwhelming, Jason. But there are smarter ways of doing it.”

“They deserve it. Kept me locked up for five years.” Jason’s throat is aching but he pushes on. “All us street kids dead, and no one gives a fuck.”

“I do.” Selina says, turning her back on him, unconcerned there’s a teenage killer in her kitchen.

“’Cept you.” Jason nods.

“If you want to do this, you need do it smart, tiger.” Selina says. “Clearing out the filth won’t mean anything when they’ll just replace the lower downs with fresh blood. We need to take down the top level here. Cut off the head and the body will devour itself... and the police and Batman will mop up the mess.”

“Smart how?” Jason can see her point, but fuck, the bloodbath four nights ago hadn’t touched most of the spectators and it hurts something twisted and violent deep in Jason’s gut. The thing he tries to ignore most of the time.

“You get proof they were not only funding the fighting pits and kidnapping kids off the street _knowingly_ , but that they were involved in every level of the operations, from owning the buildings to attending the matches.” Selina taps at something on her laptop, repeatedly and hard. “Which means the paperwork. Copies of the computer files. Video footage. Corporate espionage. I’m not saying you can’t take out the trash, but you need to destroy their reputation and take away their money to really succeed.” 

“You’ll show me how?” Jason wants to learn. He wants to avoid casualties if he can. He’s not a mindless killing machine like they thought he was. 

“Hell, yes I will. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” Selina’s one of the best in the business, everyone’s heard of Catwoman. She can steal anything. Jason’s mom used to be a fan back before she got sick, and stopped caring about anything other than when the next hit was coming to take away the pain.

“I killed a lot.” Jason blurts out. Selina’s seen him kill, it’s not a secret, but it feels like a confession anyway.

“You were a kid with no choice but to do what they told you to survive.” Selina says firmly. “It wasn’t your fault. You’ll feel guilty for the rest of your life, because you’re a good kid. Don’t beat yourself up too much.” It’s reassuring that Selina’s so sure about him, but Jason will always wonder if he could have got away if he’d tried harder. Or if he’d run when he first met the scouts, instead of being lured to stay with the promise of food and money. He’d been so stupid. At twelve years old, and having lived in Gotham all his life, he should have known better.

Jason takes a slice of dry toast and chews at the corner quickly. There’s a couple of slices there and a pat of butter, but Jason’s still wary about taking them. Selina doesn’t seem the type to dangle nice things in front of him and then take them away, but still, better not to risk it. He downs the glass of water that’s also on the table and then sits there quietly, wondering what today will bring.

“You all finished up, tiger?” Selina says turning only enough to glance over her shoulder. “Go wash up then. We need to go out and get you some stuff today.”

Jason looks up at her in surprise, forgetting himself for a moment before he ducks his head back down. He forces himself not to cringe waiting for the blow from the wooden rod as usual. It doesn’t come and slowly, slowly, he relaxes. He stands and slips out of the kitchen silently, heading towards the bathroom where he washes his face quickly and brushes his teeth. He glances up into the mirror for a few seconds and hates what he sees. With wide shoulders, a thick core and big arms, Jason feels like a hulking beast. After using the facilities he washes his hands and then goes into the living room, and stands there awkwardly, poised to move until Selina fetches him.

The three cats wind themselves around his ankles, purring. Jason risks kneeling down to run his fingers through their fur. It’s soft and smooth and warm. He wishes he knew their names, but that means actually using his voice to speak to Selina casually and he’s not ready to do that yet. But he feels like he’ll get there soon. The cats disperse, as cats do, and Jason’s left standing there in his bare feet. Selina did say they were going out so he looks for his ratty old tennis shoes and ties them on. His toes are trying to burst through the ends of them, he’s had them so long, and the bloodstains are brown and almost lost in the general grime. 

He hopes shoes are among the stuff they’re going to buy, if only because at least one of those stains on his shoes is brain matter. Maybe some pyjamas would be nice too. Sleeping in his jeans sucks. 

They end up in IKEA, and Jason stares around the store overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff on offer. By the time they’re done in the store, Selina’s bought a bed, a desk and chair and a dresser to be delivered, along with bedding. A few days later when everything’s been delivered, he helps Selina put everything together in the small box room that’s becoming Jason’s bedroom. Selina pats him on the shoulder after they’re done, and Jason’s left alone in his room, sitting on the comfortable bed.

For the first time in years, Jason cries. 

***

“Hey tiger.” Selina says and Jason looks up from his slumped position on the couch, watching mindless cartoons. His eyes drop down automatically, and Selina continues speaking, not noticing or caring about his slip. “You need a coat and some winter shoes. Get in the car, loser, we’re going shopping.”

“But I won all my fights.” Jason says as he stands up. Isis and Bastet hiss as he dislodges them out of his lap, but Sekhmet simply stares at him from her perch on the top of the couch. She looks disapproving of Jason moving just as much as Isis and Bastet are.

“It’s a quote, Jason.” Selina says with a scimitar smirk. “I guess I know what movie we’re watching when we get back.”

“Popcorn?” Jason asks. He’s still working his way to more complex and full sentences in casual conversation, but he can get his point across fine right now, and that’s all that matters.

“Popcorn, pizza, Chinese, booze. You name it, tiger, we’ll have it.” Selina grins. “Come on, let’s get going before the cats decide to sit on you again. They seem to think you’re their kitten. It’s _adorable_.”

“I’m not.” Jason says, throat closing up against his wishes.

“Their kitten or adorable? Because I hate to tell you this tiger, but you’re both.” Selina says, not looking the slightest bit sorry at all.

Jason huffs, which gets his point across as well as words would and follows Selina out of the apartment.

They end up at a store about five minutes walk away and Jason pointedly stares at every car they’ve passed on the way, making Selina snort and chuckle every time. The store itself is dark but clean, every surface covered in leather goods, boots and jackets, motorcycle leathers and catsuits, harnesses and hoods, and in the dim dark recesses, things that Jason can’t make out and Selina firmly guides him away from. 

She leads him to a rack of collars of various sizes, colours, some with spikes and studs, and some plain. “Why don’t you pick out a couple?” Selina says, eyeing the thick stiff collar currently around his neck. “Maybe one that’s not so... Obvious.” Jason’s got used to the collar he’s wearing over the last five years, but he knows what Selina means. It’s three inches wide and so thick that it doesn’t bend easily. It’s not a collar a punk would wear, it’s the kind of heavy duty gear that you’d use on an attack dog, much like they turned Jason into; or the kind of collar for use in extreme bondage. Not that Jason has seen any of that, beyond the few patrons of the fights that brought their slaves along. The thought of being owned like that sends chills of pure horror down Jason’s spine. It’s fine if other people want or like that, but to Jason it’s a nightmare he’s had one too many times and too close to living more than once.

Selina wanders off leaving Jason at the rack to make his own choices. It’s a relief, the way she gives him simple orders and always seems happy with what he picks. Except, she calls them ‘suggestions’. Jason thinks that one day he’s going to have to see what happens when he doesn’t take one of her ‘suggestions’. He’s hoping he’s going to get that proud smile and her approval, the way she’s been hinting she will. But he’s not ready to test her boundaries just yet. He’ll wait until he has shoes, just in case. 

Jason picks out three collars, two about an inch wide, one plain black leather, one black leather with some fairly wicked looking steel spikes and one thinner, plain red one. He looks around for Selina, and spots her by a display of leather jackets. He walks over, the three collars in his hand and holds them up for her to inspect. Selina barely glances at them before she nods and holds up a jacket.

“Here, try this on for size.” Selina holds out her hand for the collars and passes him the jacket. Jason tries it on, and feels the warmth of it. It’s roomy, but not too big and Selina hums, pleased. “You like that style?”

Jason looks down at the jacket. It’s plain black with a steel zip, in the old biker style, like something out of a fifties or eighties movie. Jason likes it; it looks like it’s meant to be worn for a specific purpose, not just made of leather because. He looks up and nods, managing to actually look Selina in the eyes for half a second. It’s the first time he’s actually made eye contact with her, and she smiles so widely Jason thinks she’s about to hurt herself. 

“You like that one, or do you want to try another?” Selina points at a random jacket on the rack, it’s blue and slightly shiny and Jason looks between it and the one he’s got on. He shakes his head when he realises he doesn’t want to take this one off. He pulls the sides closer around him and hears Selina laugh quietly. “OK, tiger, we’ll take that one then.”

They make their way towards the counter but Selina stops suddenly in front of a shelf of boots. Jason remembers how she mentioned shoes earlier and raises a hand to a pair of mid-calf lace up boots that catch his eye. They’re function over looks, heavy duty thick soles and, once he closes his fingers around the toes, he realises that they’re steel toe capped. 

“You like those? Try them on.” Selina says, looking along the shelf. She picks up a pair that, apart from zipping up at the front, look near identical to the pair Jason’s currently trying to pull on. He gets his feet in them and there’s too much room. He lifts a foot up and they slip down a good inch. “Hmm, that’s at least two sizes too big. Take them off.” Selina trails her fingers over the row of boxes under the display shelf. “What’s the size on them?”

Jason dutifully tells her, and she picks up a box of the same boots three sizes smaller. She opens the box and motions for Jason to try them on. They fit perfectly, and Jason grins up at her. With the too large boots now back on the shelf, Selina hands Jason the empty box, and picks up a box of the zip up boots in the same size that Jason’s wearing.

Back home in his room, Jason hangs up his jacket carefully over the back of his chair, and lines up the two boxes of boots by his dresser. The collars he lays out gently on the top of the dresser, pressing them flat along the surface. He trails his fingers over the leather, feeling the smoothness and the spikes. His hands shake and his heart begins to pound as he lifts them to the buckle on the collar he’s wearing, the tremor getting worse as he undoes it and slips the thick collar off. His neck feels uncomfortable bare and he drops the collar to the dresser, the back of his mind is screaming at him to punch something, break whatever’s in reach. Instead he reaches out blindly and grabs the plain black collar by instinct. His heart rate only begins to go down when it’s safely fastened around his neck. 

He staggers back to sit on the bed, eyes closed and fists clenched. By the time he’s counted to 100 he’s calm, and for the first time in years the collar around his throat doesn’t feel like it’s choking him to death. 

***

Jason’s first ever trip to G-Mart was not a complete disaster, which Jason’s still feeling strange over. Selina had taken him there to buy clothes, grabbing a cart and telling him to push it after her as she headed towards the clothes section. She’d wandered the aisles and racks of clothes, throwing multipacks of socks and underwear and t-shirts all in various colours, into the cart like it was an important military mission. Next had been the several pairs of jeans, sweat pants, pyjamas, and a couple of sweaters and hoodies, a denim jacket for summer, and finally a couple of pairs of sneakers too, until the cart was full and Jason’s eyes had been almost bulging out of his head at the thought that all this was just for him. They’d finished off by getting him his own shampoo and other hygiene supplies and once they’d paid for it all and it had been bagged up, Jason was incredibly glad Selina had driven them over; there was so much of it. 

It’s all safely in his dresser now, the toiletries joining the collars on the top. Selina had even bought him a watch, hat, scarf and gloves that now rest neatly folded up by the collars. Jason spends ten minutes arranging everything to his satisfaction, trying to get his head around the fact that he actually owns things now. It’s an odd feeling, he thinks as he runs his fingers of the soft wool of the hat and scarf, these things are his and he almost doesn’t want to use them; wants to keep them in this nice, clean state. But if he does that then doesn’t that mean Selina wasted her money on them? It makes Jason’s head hurt a little, the desire to take care of his things versus not being ungrateful to Selina for giving them to him.

In the end, all the time he spends thinking about it doesn’t matter as Selina knocks on his open door.

“Hey, tiger. We’re going out tonight for a little run. Put on something warm and dark, it’s going to be chilly tonight.” Selina’s dressed in her catsuit, cat-eared hood in her gloved hand. Jason nods, and she walks away, and Jason changes into a pair of black jeans, black t-shirt and pulls on his leather jacket and boots, grabbing the hat and gloves as he leaves the room.

“There you are.” Selina smiles at him. “So, here’s the thing... If you’re going to be sticking with me, well. I’ve got a lifestyle I love, but sometimes it gets a little dangerous.” 

Jason forces himself to lift his head and look her in the eyes. “I know. And I want to.”

“I want you to, too.” Selina shakes her head at something she finds amusing, and Jason tilts his head at her, but she shakes it again. “Not something I ever thought I’d say to a kid, that’s all. I don’t expect you to follow in my footsteps, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to know how and where to run if the shit hits the fan, tiger. So, tonight we’re going out on the rooftops so you can do exactly that if or when you need to.”

“OK.” Jason nods. Knowing your exits is always a good thing. Especially if you’re a former street kid like him.

“And who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and see Batman and Robin at work.” Selina snorts, with a playful feline grin that Jason thinks is keeping a secret or too.

They get lucky about two hours later as they’re about to head home.

They’ve followed several paths over the rooftops, Selina pointing out which buildings have the best fire escapes to run down, which buildings are actually too far apart to jump across to despite initial appearances, and which ones have the anti-vigilante traps that you need to avoid unless you want to get hurt.

Selina tells him to duck behind an air vent on a rooftop. From there, Jason can see Batman approach her, watches him go from the driven, intimidating Dark Knight of Gotham of all the photos Jason has ever seen of him, or the occasional brief clip on tv have shown him to be, to a softer, more hesitant man. Jason’s heard the rumours that Batman and Catwoman have been spotted having a thing many, many, times on rooftops, but it’s only seeing it nearly occur right in front of his eyes that he believes it. 

Selina’s playful and flirty, and Batman smiles once or twice. Jason wishes he had a camera, because no one will ever believe him if he tells them that Batman can actually smile. He even laughs once. It’s the weirdest thing ever. When Selina sidles up to Batman and lightly rests her arms on Batman’s huge shoulders, Jason decides to see if he can make it home by himself.

Later when he’s sitting on the couch in Selina’s apartment in pyjamas, eating chips and watching and old Jet Li action film, with all three cats doing their best to sit on him, he realises he called this place _home_. Even if it wasn’t out loud, it still makes a little burst of warmth appear in his chest. He has a home now.

***

They’re paying for three massive bags of kitty litter for Isis, Bastet and Sekhmet at the checkout of the G-mart. Selina’s also paying for Jason’s school supplies, because he’s come on leaps and bounds in his schooling with private tutors, and how weird is it that most of his tutors are in and out of Arkham Asylum between lessons? Not that he can deny that Ivy’s help with biology and chemistry have given him all he needs for high school. Selina even thinks he might be ready for actual schooling come the new school year, but Jason thinks she’s being a little too optimistic. Jason’s attention gets dragged out to the parking lot. It’s not the right area of Gotham for a big expensive car like that. The car’s barely pulled to a stop before the back door is thrown open and a teenage boy stomps out, yelling at the occupant of the backseat. He’s too far away for Jason to make out what he’s saying.

“Gonna wait outside.” Jason tells Selina, wandering out of the doors before she responds. He takes up a position leaning against the wall, and pulls his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket lighting one while he watches Pretty Spoilt Rich Boy yell at his Rich Entitled Father, who at this point has also left the car and is gritting his teeth in an attempt not to yell in public. Something about his build and the way he holds himself is making Jason wary. It’s familiar, but he doesn’t know either of them at all. 

Selina comes out of the G-Mart, pushing the cart and jerks her head at Jason. He silently moves to come by her side and she pushes the cart to the car. Jason drops the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stubs it out with his foot, and suddenly Selina smirks.

“Oh, look. It’s Brucie Wayne and Richie Grayson. I should go say hello. Load up the car for me?” Selina says with an amused glint in her eye. Jason shrugs and takes the cart from her, pushing it up to the trunk of the car.

“Brucie, darling! It’s been an age.” Selina says, and Jason promptly tunes out the conversation, lugging his bag of school supplies into the trunk. He looks up just as Brucie notices Selina’s there. The change that comes over him is noticeable. He goes from repressed and angry to bashful, and while he’s not actually blushing, Jason gets the sense if he wants to. He’s softer and hesitant, like an inexperienced twelve year old trying to ask his crush out to a school dance. He’s like Batman was around Catwoman. Just like Batman around Catwoman. _Exactly_ like Batman around Catwoman. Oh _fuck_ , Bruce Wayne is Batman. Jason looks over to the Grayson kid and stares at him. He’s not actually seen Robin in person, but he’s watched the news clips, and Richie stands just like Robin does. Holy Fuck, it’s Batman, Robin and Catwoman in civvies in a G-Mart parking lot. What is Jason’s life?

Jason turns to stare down at the bags of kitty litter and tries not lose what he’s got left of his mind. He tenses when someone comes over and he lifts his head only enough to see that it’s Richie Grayson.

“Hey... You’re Selina’s new kid, Jason?” Richie smiles at Jason widely, teeth sparkling white against his golden skin and ink black hair. His blue eyes are bright, and on first glance, friendly, but there’s something sharp and calculating in them that Jason doesn’t trust. Jason gives him a flat look, and begins to pull one of the bags of litter out of the cart and into the trunk. “Right, I guess that’s obvious, huh? I’m Dick.” Dick gives a sheepish laugh, but the look in his eyes doesn’t soften. It ruins the airhead vibe he’s trying for.

“You want something?” Jason manages to grit out and tells himself to be proud of it later.

“Oh, just to say hi. Brucie and Selina go way back, so we’ll probably bump into one another once in a while.” Dick says, trying for charming and friendly, and on anyone else it would work, but Jason’s seen through him already, and doesn’t trust it one bit. Dick leans forward to grab the edge of the litter bag. “You need any help with those?”

“I guess.” Jason says, shoving the bag into the trunk while Dick lifts one corner.

“Not a big talker, huh?” Dick snorts softly and then mutters under his breath. “Guess Selina has a type...”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Jason snarls. Dick’s eyes open wide in surprise and for a second he flounders under Jason’s glare.

“I uh...” Dick coughs. “Well... She and Brucie have this on again off again thing. And uh... There’s nothing wrong with being a man of few words!” Dick gestures to where Brucie and Selina are talking. Selina’s flirting openly, and Brucie’s... Not actually dropping to his knees to beg her to do Jason doesn’t even want to know what. Marry him probably. He’s got one hand in his pants pocket like he’s cradling something inside there. The look in eyes is what Jason remembers his mom looking at his dad like before it all went to shit. Huh. Batman’s in love with Catwoman. 

“He’s in love with her.” Jason snorts, shaking his head and hoping that Batman’s rep for knowing everything is true otherwise he’s kind of two timing Selina with herself. And Jason won’t stand for anyone messing with Selina. She can more than look after herself, but Jason owes her.

“What? No he isn’t! That’s ridiculous...” Dick trails off staring at the two of them and studying them in the way that an actual airhead rich boy wouldn’t. “Oh no, he _is_ totally in love with her, isn’t he?”

“That a problem?” Jason says finally hefting the second bag into the trunk.

“What? No. I mean... No. No, it’s fine. I like Selina.” Dick says, blinking rapidly and staring at Jason’s arms. Jason yanks down his short t-shirt sleeves from where they’ve ridden up. He hopes Dick isn’t going to say anything. He must have seen worse scars as Robin.

“Good.” Jason looks over to Selina. She’s engrossed in flustering Brucie, and probably won’t be rescuing Jason from Dick any time soon.

“Yeah...” Dick shakes his head. “So, um, you’re in high school, right? You’re a junior?”

“Sophomore. Next year.” Jason swallows, his throat is starting to close up. He grabs the last bag and heaves it up.

“You’ll be starting high school next year, or you’ll be a sophomore?” Dick sounds a little dazed. Is he really that worried about Bruce being in love with Selina? Why would he be? Unless some of the nastier rumours and Batman and Robin are true...

“Both.” Jason says, dropping the last bag into the trunk and closing the door with a sigh of relief.

“Oh.” Dick says, still staring at Jason in that distracted way. “I hope you come to Gotham Academy. It’d be nice to have a new friend there that doesn’t think that having family bank accounts older than the city is the best measuring stick of breeding.”

“...” Jason opens his mouth, but nothing comes out, so he lets it close again. Dick tilts his head, clearly politely waiting for a response. Jason clenches his fists, trying not to panic. The collar around his throat feels too tight and he wants to rip it off. He tightens his fists, resisting the urge to lift them to his throat.

“Did you have a nice chat, boys?” Selina says, walking over at just the right moment.

“We did.” Dick smiles widely at Selina, pouring on all the charm he can muster. Selina ruffles his hair, and Dick’s big fake wide smile turns into a realer, happier one. Jason’s chest feels tight, like the remaining air has been sucked out of it. Dick’s got a nice smile.

“Well, I hate to break it up, kiddos, but Jason and I have some very demanding cats to get back to.” Selina says, nodding subtly at Dick. He peers between them, over to where Brucie is leaning against his very expensive car. Dick sighs heavily.

“Yeah, I guess neither of us want to get back to eviscerated... Furniture.” Dick says, somewhat cryptically. “See you around, Selina. Jason, it was really nice to meet you.”

Jason nods, and Dick flashes that real smile again and then walks slowly over to Brucie. Jason watches him go. When he turns back, Selina’s watching him with an amused and knowing smile.

“Brucie and Dick are Batman and Robin.” Jason says, fully expecting Selina to smile at him proudly for working it out. Instead she stares at him, wordlessly for a moment or two until she regains her mental footing.

“Are you sure?” Selina says, and Jason nods firmly. “Damn, I bought into that playboy facade just like everyone else.” Selina looks annoyed at herself.

“Uh...” Jason feels a mix of emotions at that. He’s happy that Selina believes him and confused as to how she hadn’t seen it, and worried that in telling her he might’ve messed up.

“Well, I know his secret, and he knows mine. I think that makes things a little more equal between us, don’t you?” Selina grins, and Jason huffs softly, relieved that she’s taking it so well.

***

Training with Selina isn’t like training with anyone else Jason’s ever worked with before. Not even his Dad, during that one three month period between prison stays when he’d taught Jason how to defend himself. Throwing a punch like his Dad is the one thing that the fighting pits hadn’t broken him of. And to be honest, while Willis Todd was not really a good man, and an even worse husband and father, there are worse things Jason could have inherited from him than the ability to land a good left jab or right uppercut.

Selina, unlike the fighting pits, doesn’t need to beat and break him down to an obedient mindless dog. She’s more hands on than he’d expected, correcting a stance or the position of his arms with a gentle guiding touch, not the thick staff he’d grown used to. She doesn’t bark orders; she’ll tell him what she wants him to do and then waits a little impatiently until he does it. She might ask him to repeat the motion, but she always tells him how well he’s doing. 

It took two years of constant daily training for the fighting pits to let him out of the rookie cages and into the ‘real’ cage for the death matches. Jason tries not to think about them anymore; the pain and the cuts and bruises, the concussions and the blood, the sound of his opponents’ last breath and the way the light would wane in their eyes as they bled out. Snapping their necks was the kinder option back then. Jason got good enough that he could take out a fully armed adult opponent within thirty seconds if he used his claws and then snapped their necks. He stopped doing that once they told him he wouldn’t get fed unless he put on a show.

In contrast, he spends three months with Selina, learning to defend himself less lethally, and more importantly in Jason’s view, how to break and enter, how to steal what he needs without getting caught. Jason’s no hero, running about the rooftops like Batman and Robin. He wasn’t rescued by one, even if he will privately _always_ consider Selina a hero for crashing through the skylight of the fighting pit, kicking the asses of the boss and his henchmen, until they were down enough for he and his fellow dogs to let slip their leashes and run wild. The satisfaction he got from slicing through his trainers neck with his claws is yet to be matched by anything he’s done, except read a really good book.

“Tiger, pull your nose out of that book, I have something for you.” Selina says, appearing in the corner of Jason’s eye.

“Huh?” Jason blinks at Selina, he’d just got to a really good part in Reaper Man. This Terry Pratchett dude has an odd sense of humour, but Jason likes it. He even likes the footnotes, which is just weird. And he has a deep affinity for the hedgehog now, although he’d had to look up what half the words in that song meant.

“You know, sometimes I can’t tell if your grunts are typical teenage boy talk or your speech problems.” Selina sighs, throwing him a small wrapped package across the room.

“For me?” Jason says holding up the package he’s just caught. 

“No, I want you to deliver it. Of course it’s for you! Every cat needs his or her claws and ears.” Selina shrugs. “And since you already know how to use yours I thought I’d get you a pair that are less... gross with old rusty blood.”

Jason unwraps the package, finding a pair of goggles, a hood with cat ears just like Selina’s, and two heavy pairs of gloves inside. One pair has hidden claws in the finger tips, identical to the gloves that Selina uses to cut her way through glass. The other pair though, Jason’s much more familiar with. The leather on this pair is much thicker and has thin plates of metal on the backs of the fingers and the back of the hand, thanks to the fact that they need to protect his hands more. They need all the extra protection from the thick claw-like blades running from the wrists to where the fingers join the palm, that continue to run between his fingers. Jason slips on the gloves, curling his fingers into fists and feeling the weight of the Bagh nahks. It’s been months since he wore any, and his last pair didn’t have the glove element, just a single bar across his palm for extra stability. With his claws on his hands and only the thinnest of his collars around his throat, Jason feels free in a bone deep way that he thought he’d never feel again.

“Thank you, S. They’re perfect.” Jason breathes out; overwhelmed with how thoughtful Selina can be when she wants to be.

“I’d hope so! That kind of high quality doesn’t come cheap, tiger.” Selina grouses, but when Jason looks up from his hands, Selina’s grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “Just don’t cut your mothers... I mean the cats.”

“Rude!” Jason snorts. “I’d never. Well, maybe if they try to steal my fucking bacon again. All bets are off then.” Selina laughs loudly, flopping down onto the couch. The cats surround her looking at Jason with judgement in their eyes. “Sorry, kitties, but my bacon is sacred to me.” Jason would swear the looks on Isis and Bastet’s faces soften and they settle down almost as amused as Selina is. Sekhmet stares at him for longer, and Jason gets the feeling that out of all of them, she’s the one that would feast on his corpse. “You realise that if I eat all the bacon, I’ll taste better when I’m dead, right?” He leans forward to whisper at her.

Sekhmet flicks her tail dismissively, but looks away, as if conceding his point. Jason grins in victory. That had to be the easiest fight he’s ever won. 

***

As it turns out, breaking into StrigiPharm’s headquarters is, apart from a few hairy moments when the guards pass them while they’re hiding in the vents, almost distressingly easy. The corporation seems to be far too overconfident in its meagre security. Once Jason and Selina have slipped out of the vents, and into the office of the Head of Research, it’s far too easy to get into the computers. It takes Selina’s clever little hacking programme bare minutes to get into the data and copy it onto a handful of USB drives.

“Goddamn, tiger, it’s like they’re not even trying to hide most of it.” Selina whispers, keeping her voice low to avoid the audio in the security cameras and the patrolling guards. She logs out of that computer and pockets the USB drives. “I mean it makes things simple for us, but I almost feel bad for their security.”

“Really?” Jason snorts, not believing it for a minute.

“Hell no.” Selina grins, cocking her head in a feline manner. “So, that last file said that the paper copies are held in the vault which might present half a challenge. There was something about recordings of the fights being studied in the labs, too.” 

“I’ll hit the labs. You want the vault.” It’s not a question; Jason knows Selina wants the vault.

“Sounds like a plan. Meet back here in twenty.” Selina says, slipping into the shadows and disappearing. 

Jason finds the labs with no problems, and the lack of security is starting to really bother him. The amount of effort and money they go to keeping the ‘dogs’ locked in their cells, and yet their headquarters have barely any? It seems suspicious. That, or supremely arrogant. Jason logs into the computer, not even needing to hack this one as an apparently forgetful Dr. Phillips has written not only his ID but the password on a sticky note, but helpfully left it on the corner of the monitor. Jason rolls his eyes hard enough to hurt at how lax the entire building is with keeping things secure. He makes copies all the video files, all four terabytes of them, and all Jason can think it’s that it’s a good thing he has about a large capacity portable hard drive on him, because _fuck_. Thanks to another helpful document in the folder, this Dr. Philips must be one of those mad scientists to have reminders everywhere, finds out that all the hard copies are kept in the file cabinets in the same room. A file folder of the paper kind is lying on one of the desks and Jason ends up flipping through it while the videos transfer over. What he reads inside makes his blood boil. 

StrigiPharm have been kidnapping children for the last two decades, attracting almost no attention at all. Apparently StrigiPharm’s goal for all of this is to make their own army of loyal obedient super soldiers. The kidnapped children then get separated into three groups, the control group ‘the dogs’, ‘the rats’ who are given a long combination of drugs that are supposed to result in frenzy where they swarm a given target, and the ‘athene nocturnes’, some sort of elite group that are drugged with a kind of bastardised strength and durability serum. The results note that ‘the rats’ group has continually failed to produce the results they want. The ‘athene nocturnes’ have a very low success rate, only two or three each time they’ve tried. ‘The dogs’ however, have a success rate of nearly ninety percent. The writer of the report notes that it’s vexing that the control group routinely outstrips the others.

Jason shoves the folder into the bag at his hip, along with the dvd’s of the match recordings and the hard drive when it finishes transferring, only managing not to destroy everything he sees in the lab by the skin of his teeth. His hands are clenching and spasming in his anger. It hurts, but Jason’s learnt to ignore pain if he wanted to survive. This doesn’t feel any different. When he meets up with Selina he’s shaking and barely speak he’s so angry.

“I’m guessing from the look on your face you hit the jackpot, tiger?” Selina whispers, looking worried. Jason can only give her a jerky stiff nod; he can’t even raise his eyes to make eye contact. The collar around his throat is pulling tight and choking him.

“Me too. All the financial details, names, everything we could want.” Selina shakes her head. “I can’t get over the massive arrogance of these guys. It’s bordering on insane that they’ve got away with this for so long.”

“It ends now.” Jason grits out, and he doesn’t need to look up to see Selina nod.

“Let’s get all this where it needs to be.” Selina jerks her head towards the vents, and they creep out the same way they came in. None of this should have been so easy. Selina rescuing him from the pits was harder than this. It feels like a great pressure is building beneath his ribs, and if he doesn’t let it out Jason’s going to explode.

They spend a sleepless night and day making copies of everything they stole, preparing them to be sent out to the FBI, the DEA, the FDA and CPS, among the other acronyms. The one group they don’t bother sending anything to is the GCPD. With so many high ranking Gotham socialites on the StrigiPharm board, any arrests that they could be bothered to make are few and far between. The Federal agencies, on the other hand might actually do something with the information. And more importantly, they send copies to all the major news outlets in Gotham, the state and the national level. It’s too juicy a story not to be carried.

“If I ever see another goddamn bubble wrapped envelope after this I’ll rip an entire post office to shreds with my claws.” Selina huffs, sitting back against the side of the couch and shoving her legs out straight in front of her, dislodging piles of envelopes and labels, and one precariously stacked tower of dvd’s.

“It’ll be worth it.” Jason says, looking around the chaos the living room has been transformed into; tapping the end of his cigarette into an ashtray precariously perched on a stack of empty envelopes.

“Keep telling me that. I keep forgetting now that I can’t see my floor.” Selina sighs, thumping her hand into a pile of papers.

“Isis doesn’t mind.” Jason seals up an envelope with a USB drive and a dvd and a list of names.

“Isis is, and I mean this in the nicest way, a total slut for salmon. I gave her scraps earlier today and now she couldn’t care less if this place is a bombsite or not.” Selina smirks. “I have no idea where your other two mothers are. We’ve lost them in the mess.”

“Bastet’s on the balcony.” Jason grins. “But I think I mighta mailed Sekhmet out?”

“Jason if you’ve unleashed that beast on some poor government agency then... I’m buying you a beer, because that’s the best thing I’ve heard all week.” Selina smiles widely, running a hand through her short hair.

“She’ll have murdered them in minutes.” Jason imagines her doing just that and chuckles.

“All the glorious carnage you could hope for.” Selina snorts a laugh. “I guess we better finish these off before she comes back for us.”

“Probably should.” Jason sighs, taking a drag. “I could see her attacking from under that pile of envelopes.”

“Instant death by cat mauling is not how I plan to go.” Selina says, stretching her arms up towards the ceiling and waiting until the stretch makes her shoulder pop. Jason’s shoulders ache in sympathy, he shifts on his seat on the arm chair, rolling his shoulders until they feel looser. 

“You have a plan?” Jason wonders what it is. His, in its entirety, used to be ‘quick’; but that needs rethinking now.

“Oh yes. I’m going to go, very happily, right on top of Batman.” Selina says with a dreamy look on her face. Jason can’t help wrinkling his nose at the mental image. “Don’t make that face, it’s what I want.” 

Two days later and they’re standing in the crowd, along with the protestors and other onlookers outside StrigiPharm, watching as the FBI takes the chair and all the board into custody. It’s a media circus now. The tapes and data that they’d sent to all the newscasters as well as the FBI have finally been looked at. Even if some of them escape custody, or get found not guilty at trial, their individual reputations have been ruined as well as the corporation’s.

“See, tiger. Smart. You should be proud of yourself.” Selina wraps a careful arm around his shoulders and whispers into his ear.

“I like smart.” Jason smirks. “Think I’ll keep doing it.” 

Because while Selina focuses on jewels and anything with a cat theme, Jason’s got a taste for corporate espionage now. He wants to stick it to the big businesses that cut corners and ruin lives, and use their masses to protect the black market, and the scumbags that traffic people and drugs and guns into Gotham. He can help the people he grew up with, all the people fucked over by the money men, and by being smart, he can avoid having to fight unless _he_ wants to. He knows he can fight, if it comes down to it, he’ll kill again to protect someone, but why seek that out if you don’t have to? He can check any data he steals, and if any of it turns up on the desks of the police (not likely), or the media (very likely), as well as his future clients, well... Jason has no idea how that might happen. Really.

***

Selina hasn’t seen Batman for a good two months, which isn’t that unusual. She’d expected to see him sometime after she and Jason took down StrigiPharm, but it’s been a few weeks and he’s not been so much as a silhouette against the moon in the distance. Which means that when she finally does bump into him on the way home from relieving the Antiquities Department of the Gotham City Museum of its latest acquirement of a large obsidian cat pendant with jade eyes, it’s less a surprise and more a wonderful opportunity to stretch some muscles she hasn’t had to use in a while. Despite her reputation, she really doesn’t flirt with that many people when she’s working. Batman, Bruce, is, and always will be, special in that way.

“Catwoman.” Batman growls lowly, holding himself stiffly as he lands on the rooftop she’s paused on. His cowl lenses are up, and that’s interesting. He tends to do that these days when he’s not about to put any effort into arresting her. 

“Mmm, Batman.” Selina purrs, watching for the minutest change in his jaw that lets her know she’s affecting him. 

“I should take you in.” Batman takes several steps towards her holding his hand out placatingly.

“Well, you can try, Batman, but I think we both know you won’t.” Selina smirks, not moving, letting him come to her. You have to be patient and still as to not spook a bat.

“That boy you’ve taken in.” Batman, Bruce, starts to say, looking away almost shyly. 

“Yes, what about him?” Selina says, stepping forward, giving her best slink to sidle up close to him.

“He. You.” Batman says, looking up at her and he can’t stop his gaze from flicking down to her lips and back to her eyes again, in the way that Selina knows means he wants to kiss her. It’s adorable, every single time. “Is he doing well?”

Selina blinks, and has to bite her lip to stop from laughing. He’s actually genuinely interested. How a huge man dressed almost entirely in leather to intimidate criminals can manage to be so entirely cute is beyond her. “He’s doing very well. Thanks for asking.” Selina lets her smirk turn into a softer smile.

“Good. That’s. That’s good.” Batman fumbles for his words as she gets closer. A secret that Selina will never tell is just how shy and awkward Batman can be.

“Uh huh.” Selina smiles wider, lifting one hand to trail a finger down his chest and over the bat symbol.

“So. I. I, uh.” Batman stutters, holding still, but in the way that means he’s either about to jump back like a skittish horse or pounce forward and pull her into his arms. Selina hopes it’s the latter.

“Oh, Bats. You don’t want to talk about my Stray.” Selina takes the last step forward to close the gap between them completely.

“I don’t?” Batman says, letting a brief flicker of genuine confusion flash in his eyes before he shoves it down behind the metaphorical mask. 

“No.” Selina presses her chest up against his and hears his quick intake of breath. Gotcha. “In fact, I don’t think you want to talk at all.”

“That’s not true. I always want to talk to you.” Batman jerks, as if realising just how much he’s let slip with that admission.

“That’s so sweet.” Selina leans in and licks at his chin, feeling the touch of stubble on his jaw. “But I can think of better things to do with our mouths than talk, can’t you?” 

Batman doesn’t answer, staring at her intently, the colour of his eyes almost vanished into black. He leans forward and brings their lips together. Selina smiles into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his big strong shoulders. 

“That’s what I thought.” She whispers against his lips and feels the answering rumble against her ribcage with that special thrill that only Batman can make her feel.

***

Jason shifts in front of the mirror in the sun visor. He hates how he looks in his new school uniform. The arms bulge alarmingly, and his torso looks wider and squatter than he can remember it looking. His thighs look like tree trunks. It’s ridiculous. The worst part is that the uniform fits him perfectly. Somehow he looks bigger in the tailored jacket and slacks than he does in his leathers or a t-shirt and sweatpants. He flicks off some cat hair from his arm. He loves Isis, Bastet and even Sekhmet on a good day, but fuck if they don’t shed _everywhere_. At least Isis’ black hair doesn’t show up on his school blazer as much as Bastet and Sekhmet’s does.

He tugs on the tie, feeling like it’s a leash for the tenth time since he put it on five minutes ago. He grabs his book bag nervously and heaves a sigh. Selina’s driving him to school, as she has for the last week. As much as he wants to learn, he hates the atmosphere at Gotham Academy. Not due to the classes, and after being tutored by Professor Crane and Edward Nigma, the teachers are in no way intimidating. No, it’s the other students. He gets on well enough with the girls; it’s the other boys, for the most part. The Scholarship boys are resentful that someone with his accent hasn’t had to work his way into the school, but what do they know about Jason’s life anyway? The rich boys don’t like him because he’s clearly lower class in everything he says and does, but fuck them too. Jason sighs again and Selina looks over at him from the driver’s seat in her sporty two door coupé. 

“You going to tell me what’s got you looking like you’re about to be sentenced to life there?” Selina says with a small encouraging smile. Jason bites back a groan.

“It’s nothing.” Jason tries and the silence that follows tells him that Selina doesn’t believe him. “OK fine. It’s... I look fat, OK?”

“You’re not fat.” Selina says, and Jason looks over at her when she lifts her hand from the stick shift to rest gently on his midriff. She pats him lightly. “That’s pure muscle, and we both know it. There’s a reason I call you tiger, not kitten, Jason.”

“I know. It doesn’t look like it in this though.” Jason sighs, and shifts awkwardly when the sign for the school becomes visible up ahead.

“If anyone hassles you, you have my permission to lay them out flat on the floor, OK, tiger?” Selina says archly, and Jason huffs out a laugh.

“Aww, thanks, S.” Jason smirks. It would feel so good to knock some of those boys down a peg or two, but Jason doesn’t want to get in trouble with the faculty. The rich up themselves little bastards aren’t worth a detention, let alone a suspension.

“You’re welcome. Now get your butt out of my car, and become valedictorian.” Selina squeals the car to a stop, and jerks her head toward the campus. Jason clambers out and turns to give her a quick wave that she returns before peeling out of the parking lot. Jason watches her car speed off and he turns to the Academy buildings and walks in slowly, gripping the handles to his book bag tightly.

It’s lunchtime and Jason’s sitting on his own, book open beside his lunch tray. He’d been invited to sit with a few of the girls, and while it’s an invitation he usually accepts, today he’d wanted a bit of solitude. Out of the corner of his eye he spots a commotion over by a table where all the ‘popular’ kids sit. Dick Grayson (Robin! The Boy Wonder!) is doing a handstand for the applause of his peers and Jason can’t help but roll his eyes at the display. Honestly, it’s almost like he wants people to work out his secret identity.

Dick flips down to the ground and does a little bow, before wending his way through all the tables in the cafeteria. Jason realises that he’s coming his way. He doesn’t know if he wants to speak to him or not, but as Dick comes closer Jason has the feeling he’s not going to get a choice in the matter.

“Jason! Hey, you made it.” Grayson smiles at him, teeth all white and straight and gleaming like some sort of commercial for Gotham Teen Beat. “It’s good to see you again! It’s been what? Five months?”

“Yeah.” Jason grunts, flicking his gaze down at his book instinctively before he forces himself to look up at Dick.

“So, what do you think of Gotham A? Have you been given the proper welcome?” Dick says, all friendly and charming. It’s so utterly fake that Jason feels a flash of rage that goes as quickly as it came.

Jason raises an eyebrow at that. A group of boys had tried to shove him into a locker on his first day, right after the principal had given out an announcement on the no tolerance bullying policy, but Jason hopes that’s not what Dick meant. “Oh yeah, the welcome wagon was great, Grayson.”

“Call me Dick.” Dick leans down to rest a hand on Jason’s table, trying for casual, but to Jason it feels a little threatening. Not that he’ll ever admit it.

“Hell no.” Jason scoffs. Who willingly calls themselves Dick except for rich old white men? No one but Dick Grayson.

Dick pouts, and the effect is a lot like Isis batting at Jason ankles to play with her. Cute, but it doesn’t move Jason at all. He only gives in and plays with Isis because she doesn’t ever quit, and it’s less effort in the long run than ignoring her. “But Grayson’s so formal. Come on, man, we’re friends aren’t we?”

“We are?” Jason blurts out before he can think about it. Dick pouts again, but this time it looks like Dick’s genuinely... disappointed? They’ve only met the once, that’s not enough to base a friendship in, is it? Jason hasn’t had a friend in so long, not including Selina, that he can’t remember how this goes.

“Of course!” Dick says sincerely, and Jason can tell he actually means it. “I mean, as long as you want to be, obviously. I don’t push myself on people who don’t want me around.”

“Right.” Jason says, unsure if he does actually want Dick around. There’s a lot of lies to consider here, secret identities and who knows what. It’d be easier for Jason to stay far away, but it’s been a long time since someone went out of their way to hang out with him. 

“Should I go?” Dick looks unsure, tensing up like he’ll move away as soon as Jason tells him to. It’s what makes him tell him to stay.

“...No. Grab a chair.” Jason pushes the chair opposite him out from under the table with his foot.

“Decisive. I like that in a man.” Dick says, dropping down into the chair and smiling at Jason.

“Actually, I think I’ve made a mistake. You should go.” Jason says, smirking and very deliberately pinning Dick’s foot underneath his so he can’t leave. Hopefully Dick’ll realise he’s joking.

“Oh no. Too late, Jason, you’re stuck with me.” Dick props his elbows up on the table and rests his chin in hands, leaning forward a little with an amused smirk on his face. It’s the same position Selina took whenever Jason told her about how his math lessons with Penguin went.

“Huh, guess Brucie has a type too.” Jason mutters under his breath.

“What was that?” Dick says, tilting his head, having not quite caught Jason’s muttering.

“Nothing.” Jason says, clearing his throat and tucking the scrap of paper he’s been using as a bookmark between the pages of his book for later.

“Aww, go on, tell me...” Dick wheedles, doing his best to look cute and appealing. The puppy eyes don’t do anything for Jason though.

“Just thinking how similar you and Selina are, that’s all.” Jason says, only because he gets the feeling that Dick won’t let it drop if he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to spend the entire lunch break being pestered over something so inconsequential, so he might as well admit it now.

“Oh.” Dick says, and there’s a flicker of uncertainty in those big blue eyes. Dick had said he liked Selina, so Jason files that away to ask about later. Since he can do that, apparently.

“Don’t worry, Dickie. It’s a good thing.” Jason says, and watches as a big smile blooms across Dick’s face as he rests his chin on his hands. It’s kinda nice to have a friend to talk to at lunch, Jason realises. 

***

Having successfully broken into Stagg Industries to gather data on their policy of dumping chemical waste into the wetlands along the coast instead of disposing of them legally (thanks for the job, Ivy!) and not only copied all the relevant data and papers, but extracted himself with no one noticing, Jason’s taking a five minute break on rooftop to get his breath back and let some of his adrenaline dissipate. There’s just something so bone deep satisfying about what he does to pay his half of the rent that Jason can’t even articulate it. Yet. If he gets that A in English Lit that he’s hoping for then he’s going to have to try.

He’s sitting in the middle of the rooftop with his arms around his bent knees when he sees a flash of bright yellow and red. He waits until the flash grows into a blob in the corner of his eye, and he hears the light patter of pixie boots on the rooftop. It’s not the first time he’s run into Robin the Boy Wonder over the last month. It’s not even the second. Jason’s starting to get slightly suspicious that Selina and Batman might be sending him Jason’s way on purpose. 

“Oh joy. It’s Underwear Boy.” Jason says dryly, once Robin’s close enough.

“Be glad, it’s Catlad!” Robin says loudly, cheerfully obnoxious. “And it’s _Robin_.”

“Yeah, well, I’m _Stray_ , not Catlad.” Jason says, for at least the third time. It’s not that he objects to being called Catlad, but the more distance he can put between Selina and himself professionally, the better for them both.

“I guess that fits. You’re Catwoman’s stray, after all.” Dick says, hovering a few feet out of reach of Jason’s hands. 

“And the award for stating the obvious goes to Robin, the Boy Hostage.” Jason rolls his eyes behind his goggles.

“Hey, it’s the Boy _Wonder_!” Dick sounds affronted, which is hilarious, really.

“The amount of times you’ve been tied up? Nah.” Jason snorts. The banter is flowing easily for him, and Jason decides he should probably send Professor Crane a thank you card for helping him with his fear of conversation.

“Yeah, well... Maybe I like being tied up.” Dick says playfully, his tone teasing.

“Am I supposed to have a comeback for that, or shall I just kick your ass?” Jason rolls to his knees and then rises up to his feet, bringing his arms up in a loose defensive position.

“You can try, _Kitten_.” Dick says living up to his secret identity. Jason hates being called kitten. No one but Dick calls him that, not after the one time Joker tried it and Jason stabbed his hand to a table and then knocked him out. It’s a fond memory.

“Careful, _Birdboy_ , I have claws and I know how to use them.” Jason flexes his fingers and the claws of his Bagh nahks glint in the moonlight.

“Promises, promises.” Robin grins sharply. 

“You wanna dance? Let’s dance.” Jason says, stepping forward and pushing his claws out further.

Robin jumps backwards when Jason lunges, swiping out with his claws. He’s not actually all that interested in hurting him, but Dick’s got him irritated and a quick sparring session should get the aggression out. And if Robin comes out of it with a bruised face, well, if Jason feels a little glee over that, who could blame him? Dick dodges and evades while Jason goes on the attack, smiling all the while. It’s not until Dick starts punching and kicking back that Jason has to put any real effort in. It’s on one lunge forward that misses Dick by a mere inch that Jason starts to lose. Dick grabs his wrist once it goes past him, putting his foot on the back of Jason’s ankle to overbalance him and Jason lands on his back before he has the time to do anything but notice Dick’s smirk. Dick pins Jason down, arms above his head and Dick’s weight on his stomach.

“Say, how’d you meet Catwoman, anyhow?” Dick asks casually, and Jason glares up at him not wanting to answer.

_SEVEN MONTHS AGO:_

It’s damn cold today, and Jason’s shivering in his thin t-shirt. He was really hoping that they wouldn’t have scheduled any fights today, the weather being what it is. He would have thought that anyone with any sense wouldn’t want to travel to the outskirts of Gotham to the literally underground fighting club, but apparently the rich and heartless of Gotham are as uncaring for their own personal safety as they are for the poor bastards they kidnap and force to fight for their amusement. It’s not a comforting thought to Jason, though.

Jason and several of the other kids in Jason’s row of cells have been dragged out of their ‘nice, warm’ beds and given their gear, forced to traipse to ring to wait their turn to take their collars off and be let loose to fight in a gladiatorial cage match. Jason fits his Bagh nahks onto his fingers, curling his fist around the ice cold metal and trying not to look up at the audience. The last few times he had, not only had he not seen anything thanks to the position of the spotlights in the ceiling and along the rows of seats, but he’d had a beating with that fucking rod again after he’d won. It’s not worth the pain to try and see a face to hate on.

He can’t stop his head jerking up when the announcer yells out that since today is such a special day (it is? Since when?) that there would be special circumstances for the matches. Today they’ll be fighting to the death. Great. Jason hates the death matches. He always wins them. No matter who they’ve sent him up against, somehow, he’s always managed to pull out a move that ends the match in his favour. The last thing he wants to do today is kill. 

Jason sits quietly on the side ring, waiting for his turn to be pushed into the cage, when there’s an almighty crashing sound and glass rains down from the ceiling. Jason hadn’t even known that there was a glass ceiling in here. At first Jason has the wild thought that it’s Batman, but there’s no cape attached to the black leather clad figure that lands on top of the cage. The figure moves quickly, leaping from the cage to the rows of seat, and Jason can just make out what looks like a whip against the glare of the lights.

The ring has turned from enforced order from the guards to total chaos in the space of thirty seconds and Jason takes his chance. Although his collar’s still around his neck, he moves as quickly as he can force his aching limbs to, slicing through the throats of the two armed guards beside them and then his piece of shit, utter scumbag trainer, and Jason takes a few moments to feel the sweet revenge before he makes his way to the exit. People get into his way and he slashes at them, kicking and punching his way along the gap between the cage and the walls of the auditorium. Some men in masks block his way, and with a few swipes through their stomachs he’s out of the room into a corridor. Jason runs, sprinting as fast as he dares until he comes to an open door. There’s no label, he has to hope it’s taking him closer to the way out.

It leads him to another corridor, and when he finds another unlocked door to dash through, that takes him to yet another corridor. As he turns the corner in that one he nearly collides with the black clad figure from earlier.

“Fuck!” The woman says, bringing up her arms to block any punches Jason might make. He pulls his fists back so that they don’t connect and they stare at each other for a few long seconds. “You don’t want to fight me, tiger?”

“Fuck, no I wanna get out of here.” Jason grits out, throat rusty from lack of use.

“Great, let’s get the hell out of here then.” The woman says brightly, clearly still wary of him. Smart lady.

“Awesome. Which way?” Jason says, stepping back to reinforce that he doesn’t want to hurt the person who’s helping him get the fuck out of the fighting pits. The woman starts running down the other path of the corridor, and Jason follows after silently.

“I’m Catwoman, by the way.” The woman says as they find another door, and she yanks it open. It leads to a stairwell and Jason follows her up the flight of stairs.

“Jason.” He says, as he jumps up the stairs two at a time. After they’ve gone up three flights, they find a door that looks like it leads outside, or at least leads to the real exit from the blurred image seen through the glass. They burst out of the side exit of the building, running like their lives depend on it, because well, they do. Catwoman grabs his wrist as she passes by a dangerous and powerful motorbike, jumping on and turning on the ignition in one smooth move. Jason’s dragged on behind her and they roar away the building. When he turns to look over his shoulder, Jason can see flames begin to lick the sky and a steady rushing stream of people rushing out of the exits to safety.

_NOW:_

“She gave me a ride out of a sticky situation.” Jason grits out, struggling under the full weight of Dick sitting on his stomach. 

“Sounds like there’s more of a story there.” Robin remarks. Jason glares up at him.

“Not tonight there’s not.” Jason gets a hand free and pushes at Robin’s shoulder. Robin’s face goes stony and Batman-like for a second before splitting into a smile and he rolls off Jason.

“Maybe you’ll tell me some other time then?” Dick says with a wide friendly smile.

“Sure. Right after you tell me how you met Batman.” Jason snorts. 

“That’s kind of a depressing story. Not date material at all!” Robin grins, chuckling, and Jason stares at him until the chuckles dissipate into a slightly awkward cough. “And talk of the devil...”

Jason looks over to where Dick’s pointing and he sees Selina and Batman doing their own fight dance on a rooftop across the street. Selina pulls nearly the exact same move on Bruce that Dick had pulled on Jason a moment ago to trip him up. “Huh, looks like Batman goes down easy after all.”

“He’s letting her do that.” Robin protests half-heartedly.

“Well, she does always say never trust a guy who won’t go down too.” Jason smirks, although when Selina said it she didn’t mean getting Batman flat on his back.

“And she’s right.” Dick laughs, waggling his eyebrows under his mask. It’s a weird effect, you can tell what’s meant to be happening, but the glue of the mask dulls the movements to nearly nothing.

“Are you jealous?” Jason says, keeping his eyes on Robin’s face. If there’s any truth to those rumours about Batman and Robin, it’ll show up whether Robin means it to or not.

“What?” Robin frowns at him. “No! No, I’m... I’m envious.”

“Envious?” Jason tilts his head at Robin, taking in his open stance. He doesn’t think Robin’s lying. Looks like that rumour is just people being unpleasant, after all. It’s actually quite a relief to know that.

“I broke up with my girlfriend a couple of months ago.” Robin says, looking away with a set to his jaw that means he’s shoving some emotion or other down. “I miss having that, having someone be so close.”

“Oh.” Jason presses. “I thought you were dating that alien chick, Starbolt?” 

“Starfire. No, she’s dating Speedy.” Robin chuckles, shrugging. “We kissed once, but I don’t know, somehow nothing ever came of it?”

“Oh. That’s rough, buddy.” Jason says, remembering the cartoon he’d watched last Saturday when he was sacked out on the couch with a bag of potato chips and three purring cats.

“Yeah, thanks.” Dick nods, appreciating Jason’s sympathy. “Wait, did you just Zuko me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason says with the straightest face he can manage. “But if you ever want a game of Pai Sho, hit me up.”

“I... Oh my god, I feel so played. Betrayed!” Dick exclaims dramatically. “How am I going to recover?”

“I’d suggest a nice cup of tea.” Jason says smirking at Dick biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. 

“Maybe I should be calling you Iroh, and not Stray.” Robin says, tapping on his chin thoughtfully.

“Or you could call me Jason.” Jason says, snorting when Dick gives him a surprised look. “Oh come on, I know you know my name. Batman calls Catwoman Selina all the time. You can’t expect me to believe you don’t know my name too.”

“I. No.” Dick looks a little sheepish. “I just wasn’t expecting you to give me permission to use it.”

“Only when we’re alone, dude. I’ve got a reputation to build.” Jason shrugs. He knows enough of Batman’s Rogues that he can probably get away with being Robin’s friend, but there’s getting away with it and being on first name terms with him in public.

“You mean you want me to be your dirty little secret?” Dick sounds utterly delighted at the idea. 

“I wouldn’t have put it like that.” Jason raises an eyebrow at him.

“You do! Wow.” Dick grins widely. “Is it weird I’m totally into that?”

“Yes, Bondage Wonder, it is. It really is. Why are you like this?” Jason sighs, staring up at the sky as if it has the answers.

“Oh well, I’ll just blame it on the pattern of obsessive behaviour instilled in me at an early age.” Dick grins, patting Jason on the shoulder.

“You do that, Robin, you do that.” Jason shakes his head fondly.

***

“There you are, Stray!” Robin calls out as Jason’s scaling a fire escape to reach a roof. He’s not working tonight, he felt like going for a walk. In costume.

“Here I am, you dirty little secret.” Jason calls back; looking up to the roof to see Dick perched there on the edge, waiting for him.

“I brought you a present!” Dick beams at him, pulling out a feather teaser wand with a little toy mouse attached, and waving it at Jason. Dick’s even gone to the  
trouble of wrapping it with a bright red bow. What an utter asshole.

“You bring that thing anywhere near me, and I’ll break it, and then you. In that order.” Jason says, climbing up onto the rooftop and scowling at Dick.

“Aww, come on...” Dick tries to pout, but his wide grin interferes with the fake sadness he’s going for.

“No.” Jason says flatly. “I’d be tempted to say I’d tie you up and torture you with it, but I have the horrible feeling you’d _like_ that.” 

“You know me so well!” Dick trills like the bird he’s named after, letting the grin out properly and flipping up into a handstand, for no reason that Jason can see.

“And yet, I still haven’t dropkicked you off a roof, why is that I wonder?” Jason grumbles, reaching out an arm to push Dick over. Dick laughs and rolls onto his feet.

“Because you’re secretly a decent guy with a soft spot for birds?” Dick taps his chin in mock thought, keeping the teasing smile in place.

“No, it’s definitely not that...” Jason grins wolfishly at Dick’s, now for real, pout. “It’s because Catwoman’s already told me that I’m not allowed to bring dead birds home on pain of doing the laundry for a month.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Shut your cock holster, I’m trying to listen to this.” Jason grumbles, perched up against the twin corner gargoyles of the Dexsoy building, as Dick’s rambling story about something that happened at school gets louder the less Jason pays attention. It’d be less annoying but Dick knows full well that Jason was present during the whole event and doesn’t need yet another replay of Dick using his words to completely humiliate a racist scumbag that was harassing one of his ‘friends’. The fact he’s talking over the bug that Jason’s listening in to, carefully placed in a non-descript office block, one that Jason plans on raiding tomorrow night, is the real issue. 

“Cock. Holster.” Dick whispers, shocked and outraged. Mercifully it does actually shut him up long enough for Jason to hear exactly what he needs to steal the plans for his client, the rightful owner of the blueprints for a new water filtration system to tackle radiation poisoning that the non-descript office had stolen from him in the first place. The fact the Dr Kajiwari wants to opensource the blueprints and not make money off them means Jason’s given him a discount. So he wants to get this job over as quick as possible, and move on to more lucrative jobs. “Seriously, cock holster?” Dick blurts out when Jason pulls the earbuds out of his ears and turns to face him.

“What, you’re gonna deny you have blowjob lips?” Jason smirks, watching as Dick reflexively pouts those plush full lips at his words.

“I... No.” Dick admits. But there’s a strange tension in him until he blows out a breath and asks. “How did you know?”

“Whaddya mean, how did I know? I just looked at your stupidly pretty face, Bondage Wonder.” Jason snorts. It doesn’t take much to be able to peg lips like that as blowjob lips. All you really have to do is look, just like Jason said.

“You can’t know I’m Bi from looking at my face! That’s ridiculous.” Dick protests, throwing his arms out wide, knocking into Jason’s shoulder from his position on the other gargoyle.

“No, dude, I got that from you prancing round the rooftops of Gotham in _scaly panties_.” Jason says, exasperated. It takes a particular type of person to do that and let all the comments roll off their back with no visible effect. Dick is that type of person. That and Jason’s seen Dick check Speedy’s arms out a time or two whenever they’ve met up in Gotham. Not that Jason was invited to those shindigs. Not that he’d turn up if he was, but sometimes he’ll be across the street on a job and notice them in the distance.

“They’re scalemail shorts!” Dick says in the long suffering tone of someone who’s said that many, many, times before. 

“OK, seriously, how is that supposed to be better?” Jason stares at him with judgement. “Who looks at metal armour and thinks ‘Yes, that is exactly what I need to cover my junk with”?”

“Uh... At least they’re not Aquaman’s underwear?” Dick tries after a long pause of his mouth hanging open unable to come up with a response. Aquaman’s underwear isn’t convincing either of them.

“You know what, I’m gonna give you that, just to stop you from looking so pathetic.” Jason says, shaking his head and pushing up from the gargoyle and stretching his arms up until he feels a satisfying click. He hears Dick sigh, and lets his arms drop down to pull his jacket back down from where it’s ridden up.

“You’re all heart, Jay.” Dick mutters, looking away with a slight red tint to his cheeks. Jason would have thought Dick was over the embarrassment of the scaly panties he’s wearing, but then again maybe Jason was a little harsher in his tone than he needed to be. Dick takes that moment to decide to backflip off the gargoyle, doing several unnecessary spins that turns into a cartwheel and a deep bow when Jason claps. Dick doesn’t have to know Jason was being sarcastic when he was clapping. 

“Didn’t realise I was getting a show tonight.” Jason remarks idly, and Dick smiles widely.

“What can I say, you’re a better audience than Batman.” Dick does a handstand before continuing. “He always get so dad-like when I do this on stakeout. Never mind that my actual Dad is the one who taught me how...”

“Funny. S is always telling me I sit too still, that I’ll cramp up if I don’t move more.” Jason says when Dick’s the right way up again.

“Huh, maybe you should partner up with Batman since you’re so like him.” Dick jokes, pointing his finger at Jason. “I could be Catwoman’s mini-me instead.” 

“You’d look better in my leathers than I’d look in your panties, so... No.” Jason says flatly.

“See, you’ve got the Dad voice down already!” Dick chuckles, flicking his gaze up and down Jason’s body. “I think you’d wear the panties really well. Those thighs of yours.” 

“I’m definitely not your dad, Robin.” Jason resists the urge to cover his legs with his hands. “My tree trunk legs are staying fully covered, thanks.”

“You remind me of him actually. You have the same body type and sometimes you say exactly what I think he’d say.” Dick says, voice slightly wistful as he looks down, clearly thinking about John Grayson. “You talk as much as Batman does too, and you loom like he does.”

“Uh.” Jason has no idea how to feel about that, from everything Dick’s said his dad was a great guy. Jason’s not a great guy; he’s still working on not being a bad one. “Sometimes you act like S does. A lot of the time actually. So, uh, same, I guess?”

“So basically, what you’re telling me is that I’d have a real easy time being Catwoman’s mini-me?” Dick grins, striking a catlike pose, bending backwards the way Jason’s only ever seen cats, Dick, Selina, and that one circus contortionist on tv manage. Dick really is as playful, flirty and charming as Selina.

“...Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” That’s not what Jason’s saying. Jason’s not sure exactly what he was trying to say, but it made Dick smile so he’ll pretend that’s what he meant.

“Too bad I’m not into stealing.” Dick sighs, and then grins wickedly. “Except for your heart of course, Stray!”

“Well, my heart is still in my chest, beating, so I’d say you’ve failed.” Jason smirks back. Dick covers his own heart with his hand and staggers back dramatically. It’d almost be convincing except for the huge smile on his face. He stops suddenly and raises his hand to his ear.

“Gotta go. Batman’s calling.” Dick says with little enthusiasm. They must be fighting again.

“See you around, Birdbrains.” Jason says with a wave. Dick gives him his best megawatt smile and then jumps over to the next rooftop, disappearing down the fire escape. 

***

“If there’s a better traditional rite for coming of age than getting high and listening to Pink Floyd, I don’t want to know it.” Selina says, taking a puff from the joint and passing it over to Jason.

She’d thrown the French doors leading to their balcony wide open and set up her phone to a small speaker, and then promptly forced Jason to lay down on the floor outside while they both stare up at the sky full of star that are visible tonight, despite the light pollution. They‘d listened to several Pink Floyd songs, some that Jason had recognised, and a few he hadn’t before the playlist switched to songs by other bands.

It’s not really Jason’s type of music, even as a kid he’d liked the harder stuff, the screaming of the guitars and the driving frenetic energy of the drums as the singers damn near tortured themselves to get the lyrics out. He’d had cd’s of Twisted Sister and Poison Idea’s albums that he’d worn out, he’d listened to them so often. He vaguely remembers that his neighbour had given them to him when he’d moved out, saying if he turned it up loud enough he could drown out the world. Even back then, Jason knew that by the world, he’d meant the fighting between the adults in the apartments next to his and his own parents. Now that he’s free, and able to do what he wants, he still loves the drama of Heavy Metal. The overblown eighties album covers call to something in his soul. 

In contrast, Selina likes music with an edge too, but it’s slower, more seductive. Which makes sense because Selina’s a seductive thief who likes to do things at her own pace. Jason’s more of a fighter with bloodied hands.

“Fuck, I love this band.” Selina sighs, tapping her fingers to the slow bass line. “Portishead are the best to have sex to.”

“Really? Seems kinda a dark vibe for that.” Jason says. He gets the bass line being good for it, but the dark gloomy lyrics, and general air of misery don’t gel with sex in his head.

“No, no, it’s _amazing_.” Selina says, waving an arm in the air. Jason narrowly avoids taking the lit end of the joint to his face. “You should try it one day, you’ll like it.”

“Eh, it’s not like I _don’t_ like this? I just like more speed in my music.” Jason says, shrugging as Isis crawls onto his chest and settles there.

“I’m not sure Viking Death Metal can be called music.” Selina muses, holding out the joint for Jason.

“Hey, Poison Idea is godlike with their drums and guitars. So there.” Jason retorts, taking the joint and using it to point at Selina with.

“Honestly, you kids today, with your death metal, and your texting, and your murder.” Selina smirks, tapping Jason on the nose with a single finger. Jason goes cross eyed following her finger to his nose.

“Stop calling me out like that, S! You’ll upset the cats.” Jason says, blinking rapidly to get his eyes to go back to normal.

“I don’t think they care, tiger.” Selina snorts. “Well, OK, Sekhmet perked up at the word murder, but the other two do not care.”

“OK, but more importantly!” Jason says, taking another drag. “Do you hear a theme song playing in your head when you see Batman pass by in the distance? And if so, what is it? Also there’s only one right answer here.”

“Yes, and it’s Bat Out Of Hell.” Selina says, grinning up at the moon, holding her hand out for the joint.

“It’s fucking Bat Out Of fucking Hell! Yes! Right fucking answer.” Jason cackles, dislodging Isis from her perch on his chest, where she’s laying flat out on him and purring. She jumps back up and swipes harmlessly at his face before returning to her former position.

“Don’t upset your mom, tiger!” Selina scolds him, not even trying to keep the smile off her face. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it, and we should rate the cats. On a scale of harmless fluffball to demon escaped from hell.”

“Oh that’s easy. Bastet is as smart as a box of rocks, and clearly the harmless fluffball.” Jason waves his hand in Bastet’s direction. Then he points at his chest. “Isis is the only sane one in this apartment.”

“No arguments there.” Selina agrees, taking a drag and offering the last puff to Jason.

“Sekhmet is the one who wouldn’t hesitate for a second to eat our corpses if we died.” Jason snorts, taking the mostly finished joint from Selina’s outstretched hand. “I don’t know that she’d wait for us to be cold. In fact, she might not wait until we’re dead.”

“Talking about her like that, tiger, you’d deserve it!” Selina snorts, shaking her head in amusement.

“Probably, yeah.” Jason grins, taking a final drag from the joint and stubbing the end out. He stares up at the stars and thinks he’s never seen anything more pretty.

***

From all the rumours and data Jason’s collected from his contacts in Gotham’s underground, the haul that Black Mask is currently hiding in a disused office building that used to belong to Janus Cosmetics, is one of a lifetime. He has bidders lined up already, not just offering the big bucks, but the _mega money_. Luthor’s one of them and he’s offering over eight digits, according to one information broker that Jason trusts.

The thing of it is, no one’s sure exactly what Black Mask is putting up for auction. All Jason knows is that if he gets his hands on it, sells it on, and survives the whole experience, then his reputation will be set, maybe not for life, but certainly for a couple of years. Jason’s pretty sure it’s gonna be difficult to pull off, but then what’s worthwhile that isn’t?

He’s been staking out the office building for a couple of hours now, checking the rotation times and how many men are in a given room at a given time when he hears the light thud that means one of Gotham’s heroes has landed on the rooftop behind him. Since there’s no growl, it’s not Batman and there’s no rush of feet towards him in attack, so it’s not Batgirl. Which leaves him with Robin. Who’s pretty much the one person he didn’t want to see tonight.

“Stray. Fancy seeing you here.” Dick beams at him when Jason turns to look over his shoulder. “What no hello?”

“Go away, Bondage Wonder, I’m trying to work.” Jason says, in a flat voice that hopefully won’t encourage Dick to talk to him.

“Aww, come on!” Dick pouts, walking over to him. Apparently the flat voice doesn’t work. Good to know. “Here I am, spotting you on a rooftop, thinking, well it’s far too early for Stray to be going home, I should say hello, and you want me to leave. A guy could be insulted!”

“I _am_ insulting you!” Jason says in exasperation, shaking his head. Honestly, some superheroes. 

“Well, that’s uncalled for.” Dick says with a smirk, squatting down beside Jason.

“For fuck’s sake...” Jason groans, this is exactly why he didn’t want to see Dick tonight. He has work to do, and overfriendly teen superheroes are not part of that. They’re supposed to turn up afterwards when Jason’s free to play.

“Look, just hear me out and I’ll leave you to your totally legal job of sitting on a rooftop with binoculars.” Dick says, keeping up the stupid charming smile.

“Ugh, fine, I’m gonna hold you to that.” Jason sighs. Dick’s in the kind of mood where it’s quicker to humour him than fight. The persistent bastard. “Make it quick.”

“I really think you should reconsider joining the Titans.” Dick starts and Jason groans, putting a hand to his mouth to keep himself quiet. “You’d be a great fit for the team, we’d get to hang out more, and you’d make more friends! What’s not to say yes to?”

“Robin, for the last fucking time, I’m not joining your team!” Jason snarls and Dick looks genuinely disappointed. God damn it. “I’m not a hero, I don’t want to join a team, and I have enough friends.”

“But...” Dick starts, about to trot out the same reasons he’s been giving Jason each time he’s suggested since he first time he asked Jason to join the team. 

“No.” Jason interrupts. “Look, I’m not such a scumbag that I won’t stop a mugging in front of me. If I walk past an alley where a rapist is attacking someone, sure I’ll go down and make them wish they’d never been born, but that doesn’t make me a hero, or even a good guy. I’m. A. Thief.”

“What could be better than stealing innocent lives from death or destruction? I think you’d really enjoy it if you gave it a chance.” Dick tries and Jason wants to dropkick him off the side of the building. Except he doesn’t. Ugh.

“You’d think a hero would understand and respect a ‘No’.” Jason snarls and Dick opens his mouth to respond then closes it, and then looks so sad Jason wants to punch something.

“OK, I won’t ask again. But it’s an open offer, Stray.” Dick says, and Jason thinks Dick might actually be serious about that. For at least two weeks. That’s how long it’s been since the last time he said that.

“Robin. Seriously.” Jason sighs, aggravated, adjusting his goggles in the most threatening manner he can. Which is surprisingly threatening, according to various lowlife criminals Jason runs into on the street.

“I’m stopping!” Dick looks away. “So, what’s going on over there that’s so interesting anyway?”

“Black Mask is auctioning the contents of that crate on the weekend.” Jason lets Dick change the subject with some relief. “Only it’s not going to be there after tonight.”

“That sounds like something I should be involved with.” Dick says, his grin returning after it slipped off when Jason rejected his offer.

“Uh, no.” Jason says. This is absolutely not something Dick should be involved with. “Since when do you steal shit?”

“We confiscate things all the time! The giant coin and the animatronic T-Rex in the Cave are proof of that.” Dick grins.

“You realise I’ve never seen either of those, right?” Jason points out.

“Uh. Oh yeah.” Dick says sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Well, we have a giant penny and a huge animatronic T-Rex in the cave.”

“Why.” Jason stares up at the cloudy night sky, knowing there aren’t any answers up there, but compelled to ask anyway.

“Why not?” Dick says, cheerfully, like the borderline insane bastard he is.

“That’s a philosophical question for another time; I’m going in.” Jason says, standing up and jumping over to the building he’s been watching, not saying goodbye.

Jason sneaks in through the roof, squeezing through a disused air vent that comes out on the floor below the roof. He’ll have to sneak down three flights of stairs to reach the crate, but that’s not much of a problem. The problem is that Robin’s followed him. But avoiding the guards is stupidly easy. Apparently Black Mask is not paying for the best tonight. They make it to the room that the crate has been stored in and open it up to see exactly what they’re stealing. The glow from inside the box is odd, like the special effects for nuclear waste in the terrible old sci-fi movies Jason will never admit to watching on a Saturday morning.

“Holy glowing rocks! That’s kryptonite.” Dick breathes out, staring into the four foot by four foot crate filled to the brim with various sized pieces of the radioactive stone in all colours. 

“Kryptonite? Isn’t that the stuff that hurts Superman?” Jason says, pretty sure he’s right, but Dick nods anyway. “No wonder Luthor’s interested.” 

“Yes. We have to get this away from here, Stray. Now.” Dick stares at Jason determined, and Jason grimaces and shuts the lid.

“That’s the plan. OK, so here’s what we’re gonna do...” Jason pauses as he hears gunshots and yelling outside. “Hide!”

Jason jumps up at the wall to pull the covering off from the air vent, and luckily it’s the old school type that at least three foot wide and tall. He gestures at Dick to go inside and once he’s pulled himself up and tucked those long bare legs in, Jason follows. He pulls the cover on after him. It’s a tight fit, but they manage and barely ten seconds after they’ve settled themselves, thugs break into the room. There’s a lot of yelling and a few more shots let off before they congratulate themselves for finding their prize.

“I know that guy.” Dick whispers into Jason’s ear. “He works for Dent.”

“Oh great, my heist has been fucked up by Two-Face. Fabulous, just fucking fabulous.” Jason whispers back.

“We’ve got to stop them.” Dick has that determined look on his face again. Damn it.

“What the fuck, Robin? I’m not messing with Two-Face. He killed my dad.” Jason snaps at him, trying to keep his voice down, but hoping Dick will finally back off from trying to make Stray do some heroics.

“Oh. Oh man, Stray, I’m sorry.” Dick whispers, and Jason can read the regret on Dick’s face as if his tiny domino mask wasn’t even there.

“Yeah, well. That was a fucking awkward conversation.” Jason says quietly, trying to shove away the bad feelings caused by making Dick feel bad. If Dick were less pushy, he wouldn’t get hurt. But here he is, trying to soothe him anyway.

“It was?” Dick latches on to Jason’s distraction. 

“Oh yeah, S was meeting up with him for some legal advice back before his last break with sanity? And I tagged along. He gave me a weird look when I sat down, but didn’t say anything. And then halfway through him talking to S about her issue, he stopped dead mid-sentence and looked at me.” Jason murmurs. It was weird enough that Dent gave out free legal counsel when he was having a good period, but the way Two-Face had stopped dead had been chilling, even to Jason.

“Oh?” Dick says, making a small encouraging hand gesture along with the noise.

“Then he asked me if I was Willis Todd’s boy. And I said yes, because I knew my Dad worked from him back in the day. Dent went quiet, and then he said. “I’m sorry, kid. I killed him about seven years ago.” And then I tried to kill him, and S had to try to hold me back while Dent made a run for it.” Jason shrugs awkwardly in the confined space; memories of diving over the table to try and throttle Two-Face are a big part of why he doesn’t want to engage today. He might still be angry.

“Holy hell, Stray.” Robin breathes out.

“So. Yeah. I hate him. Only good thing about it was knowing Willis didn’t abandon Mom when she needed him the most, he couldn’t, because the fucker was dead.” Jason bites out. It still hurts, but it’s the clean hurt of missed chances not rejection.

“I’m sorry, that’s really rough, buddy.” Dick whispers after what feels like a long pause.

“Did you just Zuko me?” Jason snarls, indignant. “For fuck’s sake, Robin!”

“Sorry, I use humour inappropriately to cope.” Dick looks unashamed, but he twists his head away a little, so maybe he’s feeling the tiniest bit guilty for that last quip.

“No, fucking _really_?” Jason rolls his eyes, if Jason had tried that on Dick he’d have got punched for it and deserved it. Dick’s lucky there’s no space in here to hit him.

“Look...” Dick whispers after a tense moment, dropping the easy going manner. “I get why you don’t want to be involved, but this is what Robin is meant for. I have to.”

“I’m not saying don’t take him down!” Jason stares at him, hard. “I’m saying we get clear and you call for back up. Do it smart.”

“Fine.” Dick stares back, jaw set. Jason doesn’t believe him.

“Really?” Jason presses, hoping that for once, Dick will not throw himself headlong in to danger.

“Yes.” Dick grits out between his teeth. “OK, so we just follow this vent to the roof and go from there, right?”

“Dude. Do you really think I’d’ve crept down the stairs if there was a way down that wouldn’t get me spotted?” Jason rolls his eyes again. Really, who or what does Dick take him for?

“So, these don’t go to the roof then?” Dick taps the side of the vent gently.

“No, we gotta go the way we came in.” Jason sighs, shifting to try and get one particular rivet out of his shoulderblade. 

“So let’s move.” Dick nods, pushing his arms up past Jason. “I mean, not that I’m not enjoying being all pressed up against you! Because I really am, but I usually imagine us with less clothes on.”

“I didn’t give you permission to have me star in your dirty fantasies!” Jason mutters grumpily. “Keep me out of them.”

“Too late! You’re my number one.” Dick grins at him dopily.

“I feel violated.” Jason snarks. He doesn’t actually mind Dick thinking about him like that though. Sure, Dick’s joking, but it’s still flattering. Or it would be if they weren’t trying to escape with their lives right now. “You’ve never even bought me dinner. Not once!”

“Stray, come on, we eat togeth...” Dick coughs, cutting himself off. Jason knows the only time they’ve eaten together is at school. Dick still doesn’t know that Jason’s aware he’s Robin. “We’ve eaten together. Haven’t we?”

“No, not so much as a midnight ice cream cone.” Jason winces as Dick’s elbow catches him in the side.

“Oh. Wow.” Dick breathes, trying to squirm past and not succeeding. “I’m not trying hard enough am I?”

“You could try to get out of this vent a little harder, that’d help.” Jason mutters as Dick comes to a stop.

“Um.” Dick gestures at the fact that Jason’s blocking his way too much for him to go first.

“For fuck’s sake, I’ll go first then.” Jason grumps, pushing his way along. It only takes a few seconds before there’s more than enough space to move.

“Such a gentleman, Stray.” Dick grins at him as he gets to the vent cover.

“Who’s that? I don’t know her.” Jason undoes the cover without looking into the room, too distracted by the joking around.

“I think you’d look very dapper in a monocle, bow tie and top hat. Maybe you should steal that from Penguin.” Dick jokes as Jason drops from the vent.

“Maybe we should... FUCK!” Jason stares at the five heavily armed thugs in the room. 

“Without dinner, first? Why, Mr Stray!” Dick drops down and surveys the situation. “Oh. You didn’t mean it like that. Damn it.”

“No. Right. New plan. Better plan.” Jason says, staring at the thugs and wishing he’d stayed in tonight.

“Oh?” Dick says, bringing his arms up in front of him in a loose and ready stance. 

“RUN.” Jason clenches his hands, letting his claws stand proud and lunges for the nearest thug, swiping at his midsection. He kicks another in the groin, not watching as he doubles over. Jason makes it to the door and Dick sails over the shoulder of one of the mooks, expertly flipping over them with little to no effort.

Dick’s right behind him, so Jason doesn’t look back as he runs, hearing his footsteps echo as he makes it down the corridor to the stairs. Jason narrows his focus to running as fast as he can up the stairs and keeping his eyes open for the stairwell doors opening or anyone on the flights above him. Except by the time he makes it to the vent to take him to the roof he’s not seen anyone. It’s only then that he realises that Dick’s not behind him. 

His first instinct is to shrug and climb up the vent and get the hell away from here. He’s got one foot up to the edge of the vent before something sickly and chilling squirms around in his stomach. Leaving Dick here alone is something he can’t do. If Dick got really hurt, he’d feel terrible, and he knows that Two-Face took a baseball bat to Dick when he was younger, what could he do now that Dick’s basically an adult? The last thing Jason wants to do is fight. The thought of a real fight, not the play acting he does with Dick or rapists he comes across; but a real fight leaves him feeling breathless in a bad way. Mostly because of how much he wants to let loose. How good it could feel to be that mindless killing machine he never really let himself turn into, only this time for a good cause.

And rescuing Dick is definitely a good cause.

In the end it comes down to this: what can he live with. Leaving Dick behind to at the very least a serious beating, or maybe death, or running away like a cowardly dog with its tail between its legs. And running’s never really been Jason’s style.

Jason slips down the stairs, and there’s still no one about. Either Two-Face has no concept of security, which, doubtful, or capturing Robin has drawn all of his men into the one room. Either way, it’s not looking good. He makes it down to the floor they were found on, and creeps along the corridor until he can hear voices.

He slips into the office before the one they’re holding Dick in, and from the loud voices and jeers and Dick’s stupid, stupid, puns and quips, any doubt that they hadn’t taken Dick is gone. He can hear everything they say to him through the thin wall, and it makes Jason’s blood boil. Sure, Dick’s annoying at times. Quite a lot of the time, if Jason’s honest; but he doesn’t deserve the way they’re talking about him. Jason might joke about the panties, but he doesn’t actually think less of Dick for wearing them. Jason forces his fury down, just for now, and climbs back up into the vent they’d been hiding in earlier. He creeps forward until he can see into the room.

He uses every bit of the situational awareness he’s been taught in the pits and by Selina to scope out the room and the positions of the thugs. To work out the best angles to fight or bounce away from, the quickest route to grabbing Dick and getting out of that enclosed space into somewhere they can actually fight, or if Jason gets his way, which, again, doubtful, they can run to safety from.

And then Dick spots him hiding in the vents. The tip of Dick’s tongue darts out to wet his lips, squirming slightly in his bonds, staring right at him, and Jason remembers how often Dick’s told him he actually likes getting tied up, that it’s his number one turn on. Jason realises that there must be something really wrong with him, because seeing Dick all tied up and staring up at him in want like that is the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. For all the times Dick’s jokingly flirted with him, Jason’s never actually considered sleeping with him. But now, like this? _Fuck_ he wants to go down there and blow Dick’s mind by reaming him raw. Too bad there’s at least eight thugs keeping watch right now.

Dick’s trying to signal something to him, but Jason has no idea what, so Jason shakes himself and forces his head back in the game. He reaches up to fiddle with his collar, and lets his eyes slide shut as he visualises undoing the buckle and slipping the thin red leather strip into his pocket. He focuses on the feeling of his neck being bare and keeps thinking about it until it feels real. He opens his eyes and slides out of the vent, dropping down to the floor silently.

He dips his head low, one hand brushing the ground as he kicks up, catching the closest guard in the neck and sending him crashing into the wall, where he slides down and remains, unmoving. He twists upwards, onto both feet and stabs the next guy right in the stomach, following up with a knee in the same spot and then to his chin. He drops him on the floor, and dodges the roaring punch of thug three. He catches him in the shoulder with his claws, using his own momentum against him to jump up onto his back and deliver twin karate chops to his neck. The thug goes down like a sack of bricks with Jason still sitting on his back.

Jason moves on to the fourth guy, kicking up high and catching him full in the face, there’s a wet crunch of bone breaking and the guy drops to his knees, hands covering his face and making wet breathing sounds that really aren’t healthy. He doesn’t get up again, so Jason spins to deal with guy five. He comes at Jason, kicking first and then throwing a punch, and it’s obvious that unlike the thugs before him, this one actually has some training in martial arts and maybe some skill even. While Jason’s dodging his attacks, he notices out of the corner of his eye that Dick’s freed his feet and has tripped one of the remaining guys over. Dick springs to his feet and does a jump move that gets his still bound hands in front of rather than behind. He’s about to grabbed in a pincer movement by the last two guys, but Dick jumps up to kick them both in face and they stumble backwards. For just a second it looks like Dick’s suspended in the air, legs spread wide and looking like a ballet dancer, or some sort of young god. Jason’s distracted enough that the guy he’s fighting actually gets a good punch in.

Annoyed with himself, Jason turns his attention back to Mr Martial Arts and starts attacking. He swipes with both sets of claws, catching the guy in the leg pretty deeply. The next swipe cuts his arm and then Jason uses his claws to stab and the guy doubles over, hands automatically going to cover his wounds in a futile attempt to keep his blood inside him where it belongs. Jason kicks him in the head for good measure and he’s out for the count. Jason sweeps the room, counting all the downed bodies, five, and the three thugs that are still up are focused on Dick. Jason watches the smile on Dick’s face and realises that he’s playing with them. Two of them charge him again and this time, Dick goes for the knock out with no more messing about. One kick to the collarbone later, and there’s only two thugs still standing. Jason taps one on the shoulder and when he turns, knocks him out with one punch. The last one looks between the two of them, panicked, and Dick gently chokes him into unconsciousness. 

All the thugs are all down, and Jason cant, won’t, take the time to check if any of them are dead or bleeding out. He and Dick need to get out of there, now. He grabs Dick’s still bound wrists and drags him out of the room.

“Stray! We need to check on them.” Dick protests, using his feet to try and slow Jason’s pace by digging his heels into the floor.

“No. We’re leaving.” Jason pulls Dick further into the corridor.

“But...” Dick starts, desperately trying to pull his wrists our of Jason’s grip.

“NO. We. Are. Leaving.” Jason gets right up into Dick’s face to snarl his words out. Dick swallows, and Jason wonders if he’s afraid of him now. He doesn’t ask, just turns around and pulls Dick after him, anger still flowing through his veins like a drug. He hasn’t felt like this since he met Selina.

“OK. OK, but can you untie my hands? Please.” Dick says softly, no longer dragging his heels. Jason twists his hand around so that his claws are facing upward and slices through the ropes binding Dick’s hands. “Thanks, Stray.”

They make it to the end of the corridor with no signs of Two-Face, but Jason doesn’t let himself breathe easy. He doesn’t relax even when they make it to the roof. He only lets himself take a deep breath when Dick swings them over to a nearby rooftop. They slip into the shadows while Dick connects to Batman on the comms. Jason takes the time to study Dick.

“B. It’s Robin.” The way the small slice of moonlight hits Dick’s jaw highlights it nicely, and Jason wants to bite it. The want he felt earlier at seeing Dick tied up hasn’t gone away at all. “Two-Face and Black Mask are having a face off over a crate of Kryptonite. Thought you and the League might want to know. I’ll send you the co-ordinates. There are some casualties too. Might need to check on their status.” 

Jason’s always known that Dick was stupidly attractive, but in an academic way. It’s been a fact, and no more remarkable than the colour of his hair or his age. But now? Jason’s stunned by the slope of his cheekbones. The way his hair falls over the edge of his mask. The acrobat’s physique that Dick’s so proud of is no longer just a mix of constantly moving-slim-flexible-average height and now is graceful, controlled and _touchable_. 

The fury in him subsides as he watches Dick relax while talking to Batman. It leaves behind a longing, to go and hold Dick tightly, making sure he’s really alright. Jason realises that half of the reason he was so angry was that he was scared for Dick. It’s been so long since Jason felt real fear, that he forgot what it was like. Dick ends his talk to Bruce and turns to Jason.

“So, Batman’s going to handle it now. He’s bringing in some outside help.” Dick snorts and shakes his head a little. “He hates calling in anyone. But I bet it’ll be a Lantern.”

“Good.” Jason nods, and then gives into temptation. He strides forward and wraps his arms around Dick. Dick’s hand reaches up to grab at Jason’s collar as he swoons in his arms. Jason gives himself ten seconds to enjoy the hug before he forces himself to let go and step back, but Dick’s still swaying in his arms. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

“I’m fine.” Dick nods, staring at Jason’s face and biting his lip.

“You sure?” Jason gives Dick a once over, but Dick doesn’t seem hurt, just shocky maybe?

“Get in me.” Dick says breathlessly, hands still resting on Jason’s shoulders.

“What?” Jason says, confused, dropping his hands from Dick’s waist and stepping back when he’s sure Dick’s not about to keel over.

“Uh...” Dick says, looking slightly panicked. 

“Is that some new teen slang I’ve missed again?” Jason mutters, annoyed. “Fuck, I hate it when that happens.”

“I, uh. It’s, um.” Dick clears his throat. “Yeah, it’s a thing. A thing you say when you’re, uh... celebrating. Like... Oh beer, how I have been waiting for you! Get in my stomach! That kind of thing.”

“...You want a beer? I didn’t think you drank.” Jason says surprised. Dick’s never really talked about drinking before. The Titans up in New York are obviously having an effect on him.

“Uh.” Dick rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. “Actually, I was thinking ice cream? I could really go for some right now.”

“Fuck it, why not. I could eat a cone. But no sprinkles on mine.” Jason shrugs. A post-escape ice cream sounds pretty good to be honest.

“But the sprinkles are the best part!” Dick protests, already starting to walk over to the side of the roof.

“Hot fudge sauce or get the flying fuck out, Bondage Wonder.” Jason says, following after him.

***

“I meant to say earlier...” Bruce says in between laboured breaths as Selina slides off his lap and onto her back on the sheets. “Could you tell Stray thank you for rescuing Robin the other day.”

“Really? You’re bringing this up now?” Selina says, just as breathless. That wasn’t the most energetic sex they’ve ever had, but it was still intense enough to steal her breath away.

“I...” Bruce looks flustered. “I only remembered because of the photo of the two of you on the nightstand.”

“I’ll let you off this once, Brucie.” Selina snorts, slapping at Bruce’s massive shoulder idly.

“...Sorry.” Bruce says quietly, when Selina looks over at him, he’s looking awkward again. And after all the work she’d just put in to make him relax.

“Don’t take it so seriously.” Selina rolls onto her side, moving closer to him. “Honestly, between you and Stray, I’m surrounded by serious quiet men. I don’t know how I managed to end up with you of you in my life.”

“And here was I thinking that you and Robin share quite a few traits.” Bruce quirks his lips, shoulders relaxing enough that Selina can’t help but smile back.

“Is this the part where I bring up the ‘kids find partners that remind them of their parents’ thing?” Selina shifts closer and rests her head on Bruce’s chest, stretching her arm out over his solid chest, feeling him move his arm down from above his head to skim his fingers down her spine. She arches into it. “Because if it is, I need to say that I never strutted my stuff in shorts as short as Robin’s. Stray does wear as much leather as you, though.”

“Please don’t. And Stray wears as much leather as the both of us. Robin keeps telling me how attractive Stray is. Except he says ‘thicc and tol’.” Bruce sighs, dragging his fingers down her back again. “I don’t even know if I’m saying that right. I feel so old. And then he mopes over the fact that while Stray flirts back he’s never made a move. I don’t even know what to say to that. It was easier when I was a teenager.”

“You mean when showing your ankles was scandalous and all communication was taken through letters with purple prose? Back in the Victorian times?” Selina teases and Bruce huffs, but smiles anyway.

“With constant chaperoning, and the first kiss coming after the wedding? Yes.” Bruce plays along, finally relaxing all the way. “I’m afraid I may have shown my ankles quite often.”

“Really? I got the feeling that you left all your wooing as a teenager to the people around you.” Selina grins, visions of Alfred delivering letters and invitations to a bevy of confused teenage girls.

“I... Harvey did set me up quite a few times in College.” Bruce admits, flushing slightly. “They never really worked out for some reason.” 

“Ha! I knew it.” Selina snorts. “That’s because he set you up with nice girls and not someone like me.”

“Selina? Do you think Stray is interested in Robin that way?” Bruce says after a long comfortable pause in the conversation.

“You know, I’m not sure? He’s never talked about anyone else.” Selina shifts her head on Bruce’s chest. “But that doesn’t mean he’s interested in Robin. Why? Are you planning something?”

“...No. But forewarned is forearmed. If Robin’s heart is going to be broken I’d like to be prepared.” Bruce looks down at her, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“You know, if you talked this with Dick, I think you’d argue less.” Selina muses, stroking her fingers over his lightly haired chest. The armour he wears rubs most of the hair way, but he’s so heavily furred that some stubborn hairs remain anyway.

“Like this? Naked and in bed?” Bruce jokes, pulling her closer. “I would have thought you wouldn’t like that.”

“No, you ass.” Selina snorts. “Honestly. Speak to him with honesty.”

“It’s difficult.” Bruce looks away, slightly ashamed. “I want to, but then he looks at me as if I have all the answers, and I feel I have to be stronger than that for him.” 

“Being weak in front of someone else is the greatest strength. Or so I’m told.” Selina reaches up and turns Bruce’s face to hers, stroking his chin with her fingertips. He needs to shave.

“I don’t think either of us are very good at that.” Bruce says, eyes staring intently into hers, as if he’s getting lost in her again.

“Oh, we aren’t.” Selina agrees, leaning down to feel the heat of his breath against her cheek.

“Selina...” Bruce whispers, longing colouring his voice.

“Enough talking. Kiss me again.” Selina demands, needing to feel his mouth on hers.

“If you insist.” Bruce leans up to fit his mouth over hers and Selina hums happily into it. Bruce is so good at following orders when he wants to be. 

***

Jason’s sitting at his usual table for lunch, reading his book, badly wishing for a cigarette, and taking bites of his food, when Dick drops down into the seat next to him and steals his strawberry right from his hand. He bites into it seductively letting his eyes flutter shut as his lips close around the red fruit and he bites through the tip.

“If you’re going to steal my lunch, Grayson, could you maybe not fucking fellate it in front of everyone?” Jason snarks, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

“So fellating it in private is OK?” Dick grins, popping the rest of the berry in his mouth, chewing on it.

“How about you don’t sexually molest my food at all? Let’s go with that.” Jason quips, trying to ignore the trace of juice on Dick’s lips.

“Aww.” Dick pouts playfully. “Seriously though, can we talk in private?”

“Sure?” Jason puts the lid back on his plastic lunch box and packs it and his book in his bag, and gestures for Dick to lead the way. Dick takes him to a quiet corridor and then grabs his tie to pull him out of a side door into a seldom used outside area. There aren’t even any seats out there.

“It’s not a fucking leash, Dickie!” Jason says, knocking Dick’s hand away from his tie.

“So, I need to tell you something.” Dick says taking a deep breath, ignoring Jason’s complaint. “I’ve been keeping this a secret from you for so long, but I can’t anymore.”

“I know, Dick. You’re Bi.” Jason grabs Dick’s tie and pulls him further away from the door. Dick’s eyes light up in what Jason thinks is irritation. But when Jason drops the tie, Dick looks disappointed. Huh, maybe there’s some truth to the rumour that Starfire and Speedy put a leash on Robin. Jason’s not sure how to feel about that.

“No!” Dick rolls his eyes. And then shifts nervously. “Well, yes, but that’s not the secret. The secret is that I’m...”

“You’re Robin.” Jason finishes for him, leaning against the wall casually.

“Robin. Wait, what?” Dick stares at him in shock and Jason can’t hold back the shit eating grin. “You _knew_?”

“Yeah.” Jason shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets to stop from ruffling Dick’s hair. That aghast look on his face makes him want to mess Dick up.

“But how? I’ve been so careful around you.” Dick’s still staring at him in shock.

“OK, so you know how Batman goes from ‘I’ll beat you down and throw you in jail’ to ‘Please don’t to the thing, Catwoman. You’re awesome, I love you’ all blushy-blushy, doesn’t know what to do with his big awkward body, and then Catwoman does the thing anyway because she’s awesome, right?”

“Oh man, he totally does that.” Dick nods, grinning at the way Jason’s describing Bruce and Selina’s behaviour. 

“Right, so you remember the very first time we first met? In the parking lot of the G-Mart?” Jason says, annoyed with himself at how his heart’s speeding up a little at that smile.

“Um, yeah?” Dick says, a confused look flitting across his face.

“Where he went from ‘Listen to me, I know best’ looming over you in an argument to “Please kiss me Selina, you’re awesome, I love you’ when she went over to play and flirt with him?” Jason says pointedly.

“...Oh man, he totally did that!” Dick nods and Jason waits for Dick to realise. “Wait. Wait. _No_. You knew from _that_? Back then?”

“Yeah.” Jason says smugly.

“ _Fuck_.” Dick breathes out. Jason feels a thrill of something warm and wonderful at the pride in him in Dick’s voice. 

“And then it was ‘Robin’s a dark haired teenaged pretty boy who hangs round Batman. Which dark haired teenaged pretty boy hangs around Bruce? Hmmm, that’s a fucking mystery that’s standing right next to me.” Jason takes his hand out of his pocket to point at Dick.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dick says in a tone that verging on a whine. “All those times I tried so hard to keep the secret and you knew!”

“Well, at first it was funny, knowing that you didn’t know that I knew, when I knew you knew my ‘secret’.” Jason admits. “And then time went on, and you were trying so hard, sweetheart, it was fucking adorable. I didn’t have the heart to stop you.”

“Adorable. And you think I’m pretty... Huh.” Dick muses, biting gently at his lower lip.

“Really. I just admit I’ve known your big secret and you focus on that?” Jason says exasperated.

“Hey, it’s the first time you’ve admitted that I’m pretty! I need to revel in this moment, OK?” Dick’s grinning, looking delighted. Jason’s never going to live this down. He might as well roll with it from now on.

“Why are you like this?” Jason asks the sky, not that it’ll give him any answers.

“Because of a pattern of obsessive behaviour instilled in me at an early age.” Dick grins.

“Oh shut up, Pretty Bird.” Jason snorts.

“Thanks, Jay.” Dick says out of nowhere.

“For what?” Jason rolls his shoulders, standing up taller and realising that he’s grown some since the last time they hung out at school. He’s just about as tall as Dick, and he might even get taller. Which would be awesome.

“Being here.” Dick says, looking away awkwardly.

“Uh...” Jason trails off, not knowing how to respond to Dick’s admission.

“No, it’s been tough lately. The Titans only know me as Robin. My friends here only know me as Richie Grayson. You get to see both sides of me. I didn’t realise how much I needed that until recently.”

“Oh god, you’re such a sap. Next you’ll be wanting to have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair and paint our nails and talk about boys.” Jason snorts, and there’s a lingering silence from Dick that makes Jason stare at how pink his cheeks have got. “Annnd you totally do that with your Titans. Jesus.”

“My hair’s too short to braid!” Dick says in protest. “We do the rest though, yeah.” 

“So what you’re telling me is those lovely ladies in New York spend time making your nails pretty on the weekend and you get rid of their work for school on Mondays? For shame, Grayson!”

“You want me to come to school with pretty nails?” Dick asks with a delighted grin.

“Hell yes.” Jason says, giving in to the urge to ruffle Dick’s hair out of its slicked back position. Dick lets him with a soft look in his eyes that Jason wants to see more often. 

“You want me to be pretty!” Dick looks flushed and pleased, it’s a good look on him, Jason thinks.

“Eeeh.” Jason shrugs. “You manage well enough on your own, I guess.”

***

“Thanks Dick, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Jason says ending the call, and dropping his phone down onto the coffee table. He slumps back into the couch and props his feet up, trying to pay attention to the terrible action movie that he and Selina are watching. Watching being a code word for ripping apart. Jason lights up a cigarette and takes a long drag. It’s more entertaining than the movie, that’s for sure.

“Aww, you two are adorable. When are you taking him out on a proper date?” Selina grins poking him with her foot. Isis bats at her toes and Selina holds her foot still for Isis to attack the fuzzy Batman socks she’s wearing and drag it off her foot.

“We’re not dating?” Jason says, confused. He would have mentioned it if they were. Part of him would like to be dating Dick, but a bigger part says there are good reasons not to confess his feelings. Dick’s his only friend his age, for one. The other big reason is Jason’s not sure he’s actually ready for anything romantic. He’s still got a damn collar around his neck. He has nightmares about it falling off and attacking Dick and Selina.

“You should be.” Selina says idly, wiggling her toes again now that Sekhmet has joined in Isis’ stalk Selina’s toes party.

“He’s not interested in me like that.” Jason says, tapping the end of his cigarette into the nearby ashtray, fairly confident that Dick only sees him as a friend. Especially with the rumours that Dick’s joined Starfire and Speedy’s relationship as a third. Not that Jason’s jealous. It’s not like the thought of Dick with other people pisses him off or anything. Jason forces his fists to unclench. He’s fine. So fine that Bastet is crawling over the arm of the couch to cuddle up in his arms. 

“Jason, what the hell are you talking about?” Selina stares at him incredulously. “Dick’s been in love with you for months.”

“What? No, he hasn’t!” Jason would have noticed that. Right? He’s an observant guy. He would have noticed.

“Yes, he has.” Selina has a look of disbelief on her face and her hand twitches like she wants to slap some sense into Jason. “You two are _constantly_ flirting.”

“We have playful bromantic banter!” Jason protests, while Bastet starts purring loudly in his ear. “It doesn’t mean he’s serious.”

“Tiger. He’s serious.” Selina says, all trace of amusement or teasing gone from her face and voice. 

“You really think so?” Jason bites his lip and reviews the last couple of months and especially Dick’s reaction when Jason rescued him from Two-Face’s goons. “Oh my fuck. He’s serious. He’s in love with me.”

“He is. The only question is what you’re going to do about it.” Selina watches him with catlike curiousity. It is a good question. Should Jason even do anything is another.

“I have no idea.” Jason says, shifting his arms around Bastet and taking comfort from her rumbling. He takes another deep drag of his cigarette. Should he do something, even though there are plenty of good reasons not to? What _is_ he going to do? Jason’s not sure, but he can’t get past the thought that he wants to try. Maybe Selina’s wrong, and maybe nothing will come of it, but he wants to _try_.

***

Jason’s delivered the results of his latest job to his very happy clients, and is taking five minutes to sit on a rooftop and watch the stars. Well, those that he can see. Gotham’s light pollution isn’t exactly helpful for stargazing. There’s the sound of a light thump of boots landing on the rooftop and Jason knows without turning around that it’s Dick.

“Stray. Nice night for it.” Dick says, walking over and Jason turns to say hello only the sight that greets him steals his voice from him. Dick strikes a pose and Jason has to push his goggles out of the way to gently rub at his eyes. Goggles back in place, and no, Jason isn’t seeing things.

“Uh. You changed your suit.” Jason says, staring at Dick’s skintight body suit. The calf high boots are a mid blue, and the long pants are a light blue. The top half has a plunging neckline, right down to his waist, with wide swathes of gold covering the chest and shoulders. His gloves match his boots.

“I thought I needed an upgrade from the short pants. I changed my name too.” Dick beams at him. “Pleased to meet you, I’m Nightwing.”

“That’s... OK, so you’ve gone from ‘please attack my bare thighs’ to ‘please stab me in the stomach’.” Jason says, standing up and walking over to Robin... Nightwing.

“You’re making it sound bad!” Dick looks a little hurt. Jason feels guilty, but well.

“It’s not that bad.” Jason tries, although, really from a safety point of view it really is.

“It zips up! I’m just hot right now, so I undid it.” Dick protests, grabbing at the world’s tiniest zipper and pulling it up a few inches.

“Oh, that is better.” Jason nods, walking over and taking the zipper from Dick. He pulls it up nearly all the way to Dick’s collarbones. It looks much better, even though Jason’s sad to see the skin disappear from sight.

“See!” Dick seems very invested in Jason approving of his new look. It’s cute. But Jason has one more concern.

“So, you’ve moved out of the manor, right? You’re over in New York?” Jason knows he is, but he wants to make his point to Dick with as much of an anvil as possible.

“Yes?” Dick stares at him, breath coming a little quicker than before.

“OK. So. Who’s doing your laundry?” Jason grins, laying his hand flat on Dick’s chest, right below his throat.

“What?” Dick blinks at him, confused and distracted by Jason’s hands on him. Jason likes that look on his face.

“Light blue and gold? That’s gonna pick up all the muck and blood ever. You’re gonna have to either have seven suits or wash it nightly.” Jason points out, waiting for Dick to realise just how much laundry his new look is going to cause. Dick hates doing laundry, and it’s not like Alfred will be going to New York daily to help.

“Ugh.” Dick groans. “I maybe didn’t take that into consideration? I’ll think about it.”

“You do that.” Jason moves his hand from lying across Dick’s collarbones to cradle the back of his head. “I like the cut and fit though. Very you. It’s just the colour scheme.”

“Aww, thanks!” Dick smiles, genuinely pleased. There’s a long moment where they maintain eye contact and Jason gives into the urge to squeeze his hand on the back of Dick’s neck. The sharp inhalation from Dick gives him confidence to crowd Dick backwards to the wall. This is the moment. He’s going to try giving Dick what he wants, what Jason’s only recently realised he wants too. It’s thrilling and slightly nerve wracking, and if Jason’s honest, somewhat addicting, knowing that Dick’s _letting_ Jason manhandle him. Dick grunts when his back connects to the brick and his gaze flicks between Jason’s lips and his thin red collar.

“You looking at my collar, ‘Wing?” Jason teases, wondering if Dick’s ever going to ask about it.

“I uh... It’s. I always wondered. I mean it’s.” Dick licks his lips and takes a quick breath in. “Doesn’t seem like you?”

“Like me?” Jason snorts. “This isn’t advertising my preferences, ‘Wing. It’s a hangover from the fighting pits. I used to have to wear a thick one, covered my entire neck. It’s taken all this time since I moved in with S to get down to something this thin. Hopefully the next few weeks I can swap it out for a chain without feeling like I gotta attack someone.”

“Oh.” Dick breathes out, and then flushes red. “Oh, I... I mean you’ve always seemed so...”

“So?” Jason tilts his head and looms over Dick as best he can when he’s only an inch or two taller.

“Dominant.” Dick flushes hard, tongue flicking out to wet his lip. “The collar confused me a little?”

“That’s what you want, huh. A Dom?” Jason asks, letting his voice go low and growly.

“I. Yes. Yes, I do.” Dick whispers, holding still so carefully that Jason knows he’s doing it to hide a tremble.

“Talking of confusion, I heard some rumours; you wanna tell me if they’re true?” Jason smirks in the low light, slipping his thumb up Dick’s cheek to hit the hidden toggle in Dick’s domino mask to flip the lenses and let Jason see those pretty blue eyes. “Depending on the answers I just might Dom the fuck outta you until you’re begging for mercy, Pretty Bird.”

Dick makes a cut off noise in his throat that Jason just knows wanted to be a whimper. “Sure, ask.”

“So I heard that you like it when Starfire and Speedy tie you up and have their way with you.” Jason says, letting his voice drop low. “That true?”

“I... Yes.” Dick licks his lips. “It’s casual though! No commitment, it’s just when they want a third and I need to get laid. It’s nothing serious. I would have told you if it was. I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

“It’s OK. Why would I be mad? We’re not together; you’re free to sleep with who you like.” Jason says, narrowing his eyes. “I’m jealous though.”

“Jealous? Don’t you mean envious?” Dick says, trying for a smile.

“I said what I meant.” Jason moves his hand down to cradle the back of Dick’s neck and squeezes again. 

“Oh.” Dick breathes out, his smile going from joking to something small and truly pleased.

“You as the centre of regular Titans gangbangs. True?” Jason says, voice going hard. He really hopes this one is fake. He meant what he said about Dick being free to fuck whoever he likes, but something about Dick sleeping with that many people pisses him off. He’s maybe a little too possessive, but damn it, he wants Dick to himself.

“No!” Dick looks shocked for a moment. “Definitely not true. I’ve only been with Starfire and Speedy as their occasional third. I haven’t been with anyone else. At all.”

“Good.” Jason nods. “You want to be tied up and owned.” Dick doesn’t answer, his eyes widening and dropping down to the collar around Jason’s throat while he gasps and squirms against Jason’s hold on him. Jason pushes him into the wall harder with his own body, shoving a thigh between Dick’s. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Jason!” Dick cries out, wrapping a leg around Jason’s.

“Aw, yeah, say my name, Dickie. Be a real good boy for me.” Jason growls into Dick’s ear.

Dick shudders, gripping harder at Jason’s shoulders and trying to rock his hips against Jason. Jason presses him into the wall harder and Dick whines, scrabbling at his shoulders, trying to move and failing against Jason’s bulk.

“Jason, please!” Dick moans into his ear. Jason moves his free hand from the wall to the back of his own neck, undoing the collar’s buckle before he can let himself think about it. He pulls the collar off, sliding it around Dick’s neck quickly. 

“Say yes and I’ll buckle it, Dickie.” Jason nips at Dick’s ear, pressing a little kiss to the reddened spot. “But you have to be mine alone. Exclusive.” 

“Yes.” Dick nods quickly. Jason buckles the collar up; making sure it’s tight but not uncomfortable with both hands. Dick lets out a querulous moan, going slack against him, and slumping down the wall.

“Did. Did you just come?” Jason stares at Dick’s pleasure slackened face, committing the image to memory. Dick’s eyes flutter open and he blushes.

“I’m sorry.” Dick whispers, looking embarrassed at how fast he lost it.

“Don’t be. That’s the hottest thing I’ve seen in my entire life.” Jason kisses him finally, and Dick sighs into the kiss happily.

***

Jason kneels back and looks at his handiwork. Dick’s hands are bound with shackles (hook and catch fastenings, but oh well) to his headboard, arms stretched wide out. Jason’s thin red collar is still fastened around his throat, standing out against Dick’s golden skin in an eye-catching manner. Jason skims his hands down to Dick’s ankles, trying to decide exactly where to bind them to. 

“Whaddya think, sweetheart?” Jason rumbles at Dick. “You want your ankles tied to the foot of the bed or the headboard?”

“Oh god, headboard! Headboard, please Jason!” Dick moans out, biting his lip and he pumps his hips up.

“Well, how can I resist such a polite request?” Jason chuckles, bending Dick’s legs up and pressing a quick kiss to the top of Dick’s foot. He grabs the matching shackles and fastens them around Dick’s ankles, looping them through the solid hardwood of Dick’s headboard, in between his arms. “That feel alright, Pretty Bird?”

The only answer Jason gets is a moan. Jason shuffles backward an inch or two, taking in the sight of Dick all splayed out for him. His hands linger on Dick’s calves, and Dick opens up his pretty blue eyes just in time to see the smirk emerge on Jason’s face. He cups Dick’s face tenderly, leaning in for a quick kiss that Dick leans up into. When he pulls away, Dick tries to follow him, stopped by his position and his bonds. Jason slides his hands down Dick’s neck gently, resting them on his chest, just underneath his collarbone. The squeak Dick makes when he digs his nails into his skin makes Jason’s pulse race, and the needy moan Dick lets out when Jason drags his hands down Dick’s chest, leaving long red welts on his skin is heady.

Jason does it again, to see if Dick will moan like that again. He does.

He does the third time, and Jason couldn’t stop the smug grin on his face, even if he tried. He does the same to Dick’s upper arms before he moves his hand to the backs of Dick’s knees, digging his nails in again and down until he reaches the very tops of Dick’s thighs. Another drag down the back of his legs, and then another and Dick’s shaking under him, all golden skin and bright red scratches, over all of his visible body, apart from his face.

“Jason...” Dick whimpers, and when Jason looks at Dick’s face, there are tears forming in his eyes. Jason feels nearly giddy with the power that Dick’s giving to him.

“Do you need something, sweetheart?” Jason asks gently. “You have to use your words or I can’t give it to you.”

“Please, please I need...” Dick trails off, gasping. Jason leans over him, using his bulk to loom as best he can. He ducks his head down to Dick’s chest, biting gently around one nipple at first, and then harder, making sure that he’s leaving perfect bite marks in Dick’s skin. He licks it in apology afterwards, making Dick moan loudly.

“What, Dickie?” Jason smirks, loving that he’s reduced Dick to incoherency.

“ _More_.” Dick begs. “Please more, Jay...”

“More? More scratching? More biting? You like being covered in tiger stripes?” Jason switches over to the other nipple and gives it the same treatment. “Such a needy little thing you are. Aren’t you, Dickie?”

“Yes, need you, Jay, please...” Dick groans, and when Jason lifts his head away from Dick’s chest he can see a thin trail of drool slip down Dick’s chin. He pushes up and kisses Dick’s mouth, licking into his mouth eagerly; Dick kisses him back, trying to suck on his tongue, hot and desperate. Jason takes his lower lip into his mouth and bites on it until Dick whimpers.

“Say it.” Jason orders, studying Dick’s face and the way he shudders when Jason gets demanding. Dick seems to love it.

“Get in me. Please Jason, please, I can’t take it anymore.” Dick begs, bucking up as much as he can with Jason pinning him down and his knees by his ears.

“Oh you’re gonna take it, Dickie. You’re gonna take everything I give you.” Jason growls and Dick whines and shudders again underneath him. Jason shucks off his t-shirt and boxers, and leans over to Dick’s bedside table to pull out the lube and condoms. He rolls one on quickly, and takes a second or two to enjoy the sensation of lubing his cock up, before spreading more slick on his fingers and pressing his fingers to Dick’s hole. Dick wasn’t exaggerating how badly he wants Jason inside him, his hole flexing open to suck Jason’s fingers in eagerly. Jason takes enough time to slide his fingers in and out until Dick’s crooning beneath him, tears falling from his eyes.

The sense of power and ownership that goes through Jason steals his breath away. Dick trusts him so much, giving himself over like this and Jason wants to do everything he can to prove to Dick that he’ll never let him down, will take care of him just like he needs him to. 

“Jason!” Dick’s plea pulls Jason out of his head and Jason pulls his fingers out and lines his cock up to Dick’s waiting hole. Sliding in to the root feels like coming home. 

“Fuck, Dick, sweetheart. You feel so good.” Jason groans.

“So do you.” Dick sobs, throwing his head back. Jason leans down and presses sucking kisses to his neck, the edge of his collar biting into his lips as he does.

Jason rolls his hips, in and out and looses himself to the push and pull of Dick’s body holding him so tightly. Dick makes noisy moans and breathy gasps each time Jason hits the good spot inside him, tightening up and relaxing nearly rhythmically. Jason lowers himself down to rest on his elbows and Dick groans loudly as the scratches and bites from earlier get rubbed up against Jason’s skin with each smooth sinuous motion he makes.

“Fuck. Fuck. Dickie... Dick” Jason groans out, dropping his head to bite down on Dick’s shoulder. Dick tenses all over, whimpering loudly and clenching down hard as he comes wetly in between their bodies. With Dick so tight around him it doesn’t take Jason long to come too, grunting loudly as the pleasure crashes through him.

Jason catches his breath and rolls off of Dick, reaching up to undo the bonds and help ease Dick’s arms and legs back down onto the bed, before he slips the full condom off, tying it before throwing it in the trash.

“Jay, Jay, Jay.” Dick chants softly, flat out on his back.

“Hmmm.” Jason flops his arm out to slip under Dick’s neck.

“You fucked me so good I can’t even think of the words to say how good it was!” Dick giggles, staring at the ceiling.

“Aww, thanks, sweetheart.” Jason grins, wiping at the sweat on his face. 

“You’re welcome. ‘N I like it when you call me that.” Dick says, rolling over onto his side to stare at Jason.

“I should known you’d be soft and soppy after sex.” Jason says, amused. He shoves his free arm under the pillow to move it into a more comfortable place. 

“Mm. Love you too, Jay.” Dick says, and the soft look of love is back in his eyes. 

“Yeah. That. I.” Jason feels his throat close up like it hasn’t in months. But he forces himself to speak, because this is important. “I love you too, Dickie.”

“I know.” Dick says, shifting closer to rest his head on Jason’s chest, his arm over Jason’s waist and his leg thrown over his. Jason’s starting to feel sleepy when he realises.

“Did you just Han Solo me, you bastard?” Jason says, staring down at Dick’s soft head of inky black hair.

“Consider it payback for all the times you call me Bondage Wonder.” Dick laughs. Jason wants to protest, but the light and free way that Dick’s laughing makes the words dry up in his throat. Fair’s fair, he supposes.

“Hey, stop getting so comfortable. We need to clean up.” Jason pokes at Dick’s shoulder and Dick looks up at him.

“Aww, do we have to? Can’t we stay like this?” Dick pouts as prettily as he knows how, and Jason nearly gives in.

“No. We’re gross and need to shower.” Jason huffs. “Up and at ‘em, Pretty Bird.”

“Ugh. You’re so mean.” Dick pouts but forces himself up and out of the bed.

“I know. You love it.” Jason grins, walking through the bathroom door, mockingly bowing as Dick follows him. 

“I really do.” Dick beams at him as he passes by, and it’s like the sun breaking over the clouds. Jason feels his heart squeeze hard in his chest. 

“Yeah. I know, Dick. I know.” Jason says, slapping Dick on the butt and grinning at the squeak it provokes.


End file.
